Going Loopy Fabray?
by G3n3ralRedfield
Summary: Set five years after C&F Quinn and Rachel are still going strong although trouble looms with Quinn's determination to join USAF, until that is both their plans are disrupted by unexpected developments, developments that cause Quinn to question her sanity
1. Chapter 1

_I had a very amusing scene come to me the other day to do with my Faberry couple in the Cheerios & Froot Loops universe and so I wrote this. Don't worry I haven't abandoned my other stories, the next chapter of RBR is being edited now and the next Thin Ice is half done. This doesn't contain the scene as I originally saw it but the chapter wrote itself around the scene and adapted. This could be a bad idea or an amusing one but when the muse calls you obey…and wait to see how it turns out! So without further ado I give you the teaser chapter of my sequel to C&F entitled…_

_**Going Loopy Fabray?**_

The five years following Jesse St. James's attack on Quinn had been good to the blonde athlete. There was a touch and go period where the physiotherapist hadn't been sure the broken knee would be one hundred percent repaired. However with care, patience and a _lot _of nagging (or encouragement as Rachel would repeatedly correct Quinn), it had returned to normal. In fact the only signs that the attack had even taken place were the scars on Quinn's knee from the surgery and the fact that both the knee and shoulder ached like a son of a bitch in the cold. It hadn't stopped her from accepting an athletic scholarship to NYU where she promptly led their runners to a stream of wins that earned her a plaque on the athletics department's wall of fame. It also hadn't stopped her from finally obtaining her pilot's licence, in fact she had gone from a student pilot licence to a sport, then recreational and private pilot's licenses. She was, in fact, only a hundred hours or so of airtime away from being eligible to take her commercial pilot's licence.

Rachel and Judy however had somehow managed between them to continually delay Quinn's application to join the Air Force. Both were terrified of the day the athlete would finally sign on the dotted line and be whisked away to Andrews for training before being dispatched to one war zone or the other. At first it had been the blonde herself who had delayed the application, as she wanted to get her knee back up to full health first. After that she had held off because the urge to work through her pilot's licences was too strong, and with Steve and his connections at the private airfield, she had the unrivalled opportunity to do it much more cheaply than she ordinarily would have done. After three years of college and receiving a first class diploma in both technical and mechanical engineering, Boeing had offered her the chance of a two-year apprenticeship. At first she had wanted to refuse them but as Rachel, Judy and Steve had all pointed out that it opened up huge opportunities for her after she left the Air Force, she had grudgingly accepted. _Now _however they were running out of excuses as the two years was up and Quinn had sat down to start the application process.

Things had gone just as well for Rachel at NYADA, from day one both her and her friend and partner in crime Kurt had made a huge impact. In a school full of talent they were the only two who managed to never lose their friendly edge, _yes _they were up against a wealth of competition and _yes _they learned early on that taking your eye off the ball for even one moment resulted in a knife in the back…but not once had they resorted to employing the same tactics to land themselves a role. Against all expectations and predictions, the two had maintained their cheerful demeanours and it had paid off big time as casting directors found their happy go lucky and team attitude to be a breath of fresh air when compared to the usual backstabbing type that musical theatre seemed to attract. As a result, they had gained a reputation as dedicated, eager, professional and hard working singers. At this point they were both starring in an off Broadway production of 'My Fair Lady' with Rachel making an admirable Eliza while Kurt was a delightfully earnest Freddy.

Quinn had found she actually enjoyed reading lines as Professor Higgins with Rachel, although the brunette diva couldn't stop herself from sniggering every time the blonde attempted an English accent…Rachel insisted it was worse than Dick Van Dyke's one in Mary Poppins apparently. Sniffing haughtily, Quinn had agreed to stop her attempts at accents long enough for Rachel to at least finish reading through the lines with her. The athlete on the other hand found Rachel's English accent, both upper class _and _cockney, to be incredibly interesting and after some persuasion got her to agree to use it in the bedroom once or twice…_what_? She couldn't help it if Rachel with an upper class English accent turned her on! Although in retrospect, encouraging the brunette's dramatic side did get a little wearing, especially as for several months Rachel insisted on waking Quinn up each morning with a bellowed '_Move your bleedin arse Fabray_!' in celebration of one of Eliza's more famous lines.

Their relationship had gone from strength to strength and survived through bouts of Quinn's insecurity, Rachel's extremely jealous streak and of course the inevitable fights. _Every _couple fought from time to time, whether it was about what to eat for dinner that evening or whose house to spend Christmas at. But for Quinn and Rachel only one thing ever seemed to cause arguments between them and that was the fact that Quinn had continued to spend time boxing. Santana and the blonde spent two evenings and Saturday afternoons in the boxing ring and had gone from casual sparring to full on bouts with other fighters. They no longer fought each other unless it was for practice mainly because they had both become quite infamous on the circuit. Santana had adopted the fighting name of Diablo's Daughter and all her boxing gear was emblazoned with the double D logo. Quinn had found herself fighting under her call sign of Spitfire, mainly because San always referred to her by that name when they sparred and it had just stuck.

Rachel however was not impressed _at all_…she made it a point to go to every one of the blonde's fights simply because Quinn always made the effort to attend _her _performances. But every time the athlete took a hit she winced, whenever she hit the floor from a particularly vicious blow, Rachel found herself being pinned to her seat by Brittany and Santana. She couldn't help it that her over protective girlfriend instincts flared up every time Quinn got punched. And _every _time, like clockwork the blonde would yet again patiently explain that if she were boxing then the whole point was to hit each other. So yes, it was the one extremely sore point in their relationship and it didn't help that as stubborn as Rachel was becoming about making Quinn give up, Quinn was becoming equally as stubborn over claiming her official amateur status. Santana thought it was hilarious and loved to play the devil's advocate in their spats, right up until Brittany glared, at that point the Latina backed off without a word. Rachel became even _more _incensed when she realised that Quinn had gone ahead and accepted official status without consulting her and had then put the information on her application form for the Air Force…which resulted in their current very heated argument.

"Rachel for the twelve millionth time in the last frigging week, I'm going to be flying jet's and getting shot at! Joining the boxing team isn't going to be any more dangerous."

To emphasise her frustration, Quinn slammed the fridge door loudly and popped the top on a soda. Rachel glowered angrily and crossed her arms, one foot tapping impatiently on the floor.

"Oh what a _wonderful _way to make your point Quinn! Pointing out the various danger's you're willingly walking into to justify offering yourself up as a punching bag…and _stop _swearing!"

Unable to stifle the urge, the athlete rolled her eyes in irritation and scowled.

"I didn't, frigging isn't swearing it's a useful adjective! And don't try laying a guilt trip on me now, you have known from the moment you met me that I planned to follow my father into the Air Force."

Throwing her hands up angrily, they promptly fell back down to prop on her hips, flicking her hair over her shoulder Rachel shook her head.

"Are you _that _stupid, do you not even realise that every time you mention it to your mom she flinches…she already lost her husband and she's terrified of losing you as well. Your ridiculously cavalier attitude towards the danger you're going to be heading into only makes it worse!"

Quinn got as far as opening her mouth to reply but Rachel was on a roll! She had been wanting to say this for ages, years in fact and now that Quinn had nudged the conversational door open, she was ready to throw herself through it.

"Oh no, I'm _not _finished Quinn Fabray! Both your mother and I love you so very much and to a certain degree we have resigned ourselves to the fact that your dream is always going to come first, but you cannot ask us to act as casually about it as you do!"

Unsure if she was actually allowed to reply yet, the blonde just ran her free hand through her short hair in frustration and waited to see if Rachel was finished ranting.

"I _know _you want to fly jets, I _know _you want to follow in your father's footsteps and I _know _you enjoy standing in a canvas square and trading blows for some bizarre reason. I have accepted this and it doesn't change the fact that I love you and want to spend my life with you, but you have to know that the thought of losing you…of you being _hurt _devastates me."

Quinn felt the righteous anger she had been stoking within her deflate rapidly and she took another long swallow from the soda to disguise the urge to cry. Rachel had subsided as well and sat down on the edge of their worn and frayed sofa, without the force of her anger to bolster her, she suddenly looked much smaller and somehow frail. Toying with the ring pull on the can, the athlete ran her hand through her hair again and trudged over to sit next to the diva.

"Rae…I just, maybe sometimes I joke about it and play it down because I _do _know how scared mom is, how scared you are. Christ when I think about that uniformed Captain walking up the driveway with that damn envelope…I know that fear only too well. So I joke about it because it helps me, it's a selfish reaction but I've wanted this for so long I have no idea what else I'd do."

She set the half empty can down and took Rachel's hand in both of hers.

"Rachel I love you, I really do…but you're right, you _do _have to get used to the idea of me in uniform and in danger because if they accept me I'm joining."

The brunette finally looked up and although the love was clearly swirling in those brown eyes there was also a sadness that pained Quinn greatly.

"And what…just as an example, what if something were to happen that _changed _our situation?"

Frowning, Quinn freed one hand to rub the back of her neck in thought.

"How do you mean? Like if something happened with my mom or your dad's and they needed care?"

Rachel started to shake her head but paused, bit her lip and then with a small sigh nodded. Sitting back on the sofa the blonde smiled softly.

"Rach your dad's are _dangerously _healthy and as for mom and Steve…considering they just booked a biking holiday, I don't think we have anything to worry about! And _we're _both fine okay? Yeah we have the odd argument but nothing major, you tend to worry about things far too much baby."

Smiling weakly, the diva nodded and allowed herself to be pulled into a loose embrace, things were far from resolved in her eyes but she wasn't even a hundred percent certain of her facts and until she was she didn't want to rock the boat. However if she was right then things were about to change drastically for the two of them and she had no idea how Quinn was going to handle it…or even _if _she was going to be able to handle it. So for now she let herself enjoy the blonde's embraces and kisses and when things between them grew more and more heated, she willingly allowed Quinn to steer her to the small but much loved bedroom. It was only several hours later after the athlete had worn herself out successfully and was fast asleep curled around Rachel that the diva let herself think about the predicament she found herself in. She glanced down at Quinn's contentedly snoring form and smiled fondly, reaching out she tucked a strand of short blonde hair behind a delicate ear, giggling lightly when the blonde wrinkled her nose and leaned into the touch. Then her eyes strayed to her stomach and she moved her free hand to rub over it protectively, biting her lip she took one last look at the slumbering athlete then snuggled down and turned the light off. After all, this worry _could _be for nothing and then she could tell Quinn how daft she'd been and why she had been worrying more and more about the blonde's choice of career.

However, as it turned out she was _not _wrong, something that she found out two days later after several different tests. Quinn was so invested in the application forms and updating her CV that she put Rachel's pacing and muttering down to nerves over a performance. At least that's what she put it down to until she found her i Pad literally ripped from her hands by an extremely irate diva.

"You haven't even noticed _have _you?"

Quinn had learnt early on that with Rachel it was sometimes tricky to work out exactly what you had done wrong and when so she thought back over the day and shrugged weakly.

"Um…is this about the pacing, cos I just figured that you were getting worked up about the fact there were gonna be Broadway scouts at the Saturday matinee?"

She raised an eyebrow, this was a '_shit, I hope I got that right_' eyebrow as opposed to a kick ass one however and the chewed lip didn't help her to look any more confident. Rachel's brown eyes flashed angrily then widened when she remembered the scouts, she had been trying her best to forget that and had succeeded thanks to her situation, now Quinn had reminded her!

"Why did you have to remind me! As if things weren't bad enough you go and dump _that _on me and then…you just…things are…"

At that point, her voice went supersonic and her hands went into overdrive, the gesticulations nearly causing Quinn to lose an eye. The blonde sat back and opened her mouth ready to interrupt when she saw the diva slowing down to take a breath. Instead of speaking however, her jaw just ended up hanging open as Rachel burst into tears and slapped Quinn's arm before fleeing into the bedroom and slamming the door behind her. Now, normally when they had their little spats Quinn knew (or at least had a pretty damn good idea) of exactly what she had done and what it was about, today however she could honestly claim that she was in the dark. She half rose to follow then paused, with Rachel in this odd mood who knew what would happen if she went in there…then again who knew what might happen if she _didn't _go in there? Running both hands through her hair, Quinn stood fully and took several steps before stopping abruptly again, throwing her hands in the air uselessly she muttered to herself.

"I don't believe this…for the first time ever even _I _can't predict what's going on in Rachel's head."

She briefly debated calling Santana but then remembered she and Brittany were on holiday in Las Vegas to celebrate the blonde dancer's being signed up to choreograph the latest Britney Spears video and Santana's very early promotion to Homicide Detective. She _definitely _wouldn't be thanked if she interrupted that little weekend party, which left her mom and Steve, neither of whom she thought would be much good. Rolling her eyes at her sudden cowardice, the pilot squared her shoulders and taking a deep breath headed determinedly into the bedroom. The curtains had been drawn and there was a sobbing lump under the duvet that was most definitely Rachel. Sighing internally, the blonde lowered herself onto the bed next to the uncommunicative lump and couldn't help the half fond smile as she peeled the duvet down just enough to catch sight of one red- rimmed brown eye peering back at her.

"Hey…I don't mean to sound like a guy here but if you don't tell me what's wrong I can't help you cheerio? Is it _really _that bad?"

Both eyes finally emerged over the edge of the duvet and Quinn found she wasn't exactly reassured by the look the brunette was giving her. Swallowing down the sudden concern and panic that Rachel was about to tell her she had cheated on her or was going to break up with her, the athlete reached out and cupped Rachel's face gently.

"Come on…talk to me, _please_?"

Sniffing and blinking as more tears fell, Rachel replied in a very small voice.

"You're going to hate me Quinn."

Hazel eyes softened perceptibly and propping her chin in one hand, she smiled at the sniffing brunette before bending down to steal a soft kiss.

"I won't hate you, whatever else happens in this life I could never hate you…so stop tearing yourself up inside over this and just talk to me. Need I remind you Miss- Overly- Articulate that _you _were the one who insisted we always talk things over if we had problems."

A hint of amusement flashed in the tear filled brown eyes, accompanied (to Quinn's relief) with a small but genuine smile.

"No you do not have to remind me, though I suspect you enjoy the few occasions that you get to use my words against me far too much."

Quinn just smirked, silently confirming her girlfriend's accusation, after another small smile, Rachel sat up and allowed the blonde to help her clean her face delicately. Once that was done they kissed again softly and Rachel let out a breath while Quinn just waited patiently for her to speak.

"I…know I've been behaving a little strangely for a couple of weeks now and until last weekend I wasn't sure why myself but…well, now I _do _know why and although I have always had very real concerns over you joining up, that hasn't been the main reason for my odd behaviour of late."

Frowning, the pilot sat up herself and just nodded patiently as she waited for Rachel to get it all out. The diva was rarely if ever visibly nervous and so the hunched figure that was hastily shredding the tissue in her hands was worrying enough.

"Quinn, sweetheart do you remember your birthday?"

That got a very wide grin as the blonde thought back to that weekend, it wasn't like she would ever forget _that _particular celebration after all! She'd spent the actual day of her birthday miserable, she had just gone through the change at the start of her somewhat unique 'period' and felt tired and achy. Rachel had spent the day bringing her, her favourite foods and making sure she was comfortable. Even going so far as to sit through 'The Life of Brian' which she didn't find in the least funny but always reduced the blonde to tears of hilarity. The next day however Rachel had woken her up in a _most _satisfactory manner before whisking her away for a long weekend in a lakeside cabin.

"Of course I do, it was the best birthday I've had since the one where my dad took me to sit in a Raptor cockpit."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel couldn't help but smile fondly as she reflected that sometimes, just sometimes Quinn really _did _think like a man (not that she would ever tell the blonde that), fidgeting the diva cleared her throat.

"I _meant_…the first night in particular, when you ticked off one of the fantasies on your list?"

Unable to quite stop the flush that rapidly suffused her cheeks, the blonde nodded.

"Yeah, course I do…although you admitted the whole open fireplace and rug thing was one of yours as well so it was more like we both got to tick that one off actually."

Fidgeting even more, Rachel started chewing on her lip as yet again Quinn missed out the rather important part of that fantasy…the part that led to the current predicament Rachel found herself in. Trying to hold on to the last of her rapidly dwindling supply of patience, the diva decided to just shoot from the hip, so to speak.

"Well yes I admit that I wanted the fireplace and faux bear skin rug part as much as you, but what I was _actually _referring to was you ah…well, you know, being able to make love to me raw."

The blonde's smirk grew dreamy at that and she couldn't help it as her mind replayed in detail the moment Rachel had finally let her go without protection. Although the brunette was on birth control and they weren't exactly prolific before they dated each other, Rachel had insisted on safe sex and for the most part Quinn agreed…for the most part.

_The heat from the fireplace was pleasantly warm against their naked skin, a part of Quinn had worried that in reality it might be too hot but it wasn't, it was in fact pretty damn close to perfection. Rachel was laid out beneath her, dark hair spread across the rug underneath them both. The flames from the fire flickered across the former cheerleader's bronzed torso and caused her eyes to shine brightly, the pupils blown wide with passion._

"_It's not fair that you get to be that damn gorgeous Rach."_

_The hoarseness in her tone surprised even Quinn and she swallowed to try and clear it before realising it was caused by passion…and with Rachel spread out like that underneath her it wasn't about to go away any time soon. _

"_Look who's talking, do you ever even look at yourself Quinn? Every day I wonder how I got so lucky and thank the stars that I still have you."_

_Flushing, Quinn lowered her head, in part to avoid the intense brown gaze currently being directed at her. And in part to kiss and lick lightly at the beautifully prominent collarbone in front of her, despite the delicious sensation her girlfriend's mouth was creating on her heated skin, Rachel wasn't going to let her get away with ducking the compliment. Catching the stubborn chin in one hand, she tipped the athlete's head back until she could see those swirling hazel eyes. _

"_Hey…you don't get to ignore a compliment Fabray, you should know how sexy you are."_

_The hazel eyes rolled in self-consciousness and not a little embarrassment._

"_Quit it cheerio, I know that maybe I could pass for handsome if it weren't for the scars."_

_The scars…The main point of Quinn's shame, despite how many times Rachel had reassured her that they didn't detract from the blonde's attractiveness. Now Rachel trailed a hand down to lightly trace the twisted scar that started under the blondes chin and travelled downwards, finally ending near the hollow of her throat._

"_They don't make you any less attractive Quinn, they just remind me what an amazing person you are. What you went through to protect the last scrap of privacy your best friend had, and you didn't let them break you. So you better damn well get used to me loving every inch of you, __**including **__the scars."_

_Shaking her head fondly, Quinn decided to let it go, tonight was for love, not her insecurities…something she was pointedly reminded of when her painfully erect cock brushed over the curls at the apex of her girlfriends legs. She let out a low groan and lifted up to relieve the pressure and get back to enjoying the brunette's body. Rachel however was having none of it, this weekend was about Quinn and her fantasy and although she never (God forbid!) objected to the blonde's dedication to making sure she came repeatedly, at this time of the month they could both get satisfaction quickly. Somehow Rachel was fairly sure that after her next few words Quinn wouldn't want to delay anymore either. Reaching down between their bodies, the brunette took a firm hold of Quinn's not so little visitor and pumped her hand up and down firmly enough to guarantee she had her girlfriend's full attention._

"_Quit teasing me Quinn and do what you said you wanted to…__**own **__me."_

_Grunting faintly at the still moving hand between them, the blonde fought for the control to speak._

"_L…let me go then so I can put my armour on."_

_She grinned crookedly and nipped gently at Rachel's lower lip before moving to sit up and go for a condom. However, when the hand caressing her refused to move, she frowned slightly and refocused on Rachel's lightly teasing smirk._

"_Um…need you to let go?"_

_The diva shook her head and reaching up with her other hand hooked it around Quinn's neck and pulled her into a deep and thorough kiss while the hand holding the blonde's cock directed it so the already leaking tip stroked across her clit, the action caused them to groan into each others mouths simultaneously._

"_Christ Rachel if you don't let me go soon I'm not sure I'm going to be able to help myself…"_

_The athlete's voice was more of a growl than anything else, that in itself caused Rachel to shudder with arousal and she could feel the proof of her excitement leaking out of her and onto the rug that was both soft and rough underneath her. Tightening her hand in the hair at the back of Quinn's neck, the diva bit the underside of a slender yet strong jaw and husked out._

"_That's the point of fantasy number 3 isn't it? To take me any way you want for as long as you want in front of an open fire…raw, let your primal side loose was, I believe, how you worded it."_

_Swallowing audibly, the hazel eyes widened with a mix of surprise, love but most of all hunger. Rachel was woman enough to admit that it was the hunger that caused her to grow even wetter, the almost possessive light in Quinn's eyes seeming to set alight every nerve ending in her body. Licking her lips nervously Quinn had just enough self-control left to ask._

"_Are you __**sure **__baby…if not say so now, because once I start I'm not sure I'm going to be able to stop.."_

_Finally letting her hold on the athlete's straining member relax, Rachel looked deeply into the almost pleading eyes and although there was the fleeting inclination to tease just a bit longer, she couldn't deny that she had also been fantasising about Quinn's number 3 scenario since she had seen the list. _

"_I'm positive, show me how you own me Fabray…if you're still up for it that is?"_

_That did it! Just as Rachel had known it would and in a flash she found herself turned over onto her stomach. She could feel Quinn kneeling between her legs behind her and almost spoke when she felt the blonde's strong yet surprisingly gentle hands pushing her legs apart. Rachel lowered her forehead to the rug and unsure what to do with her hands started to reach back. Quinn's hand's gently slapped them aside and moments later the diva felt the warmth of her girlfriends supple body stretch out across hers, one hand scratched lightly up her side and across her shoulder blade before sinking into and gripping the long dark locks tightly. Rachel couldn't hold back the aroused growl as she felt her hair being pulled firmly and a soft pair of lips run along her earlobe. The caress was achingly gentle, and quickly juxtaposed with the sharp but brief pain of teeth biting the sensitive skin just behind her ear._

"_Put your hands under you chin and lace your fingers together, do __**not **__move them unless I tell you to."_

_The soft tone was made even more arousing by the blatant command in the words and the brunette rushed to do as she was told. She felt Quinn's other hand rest on her hip and lightly urge the diva to lift up slightly. Rachel frowned at the move, she had expected to be taken from behind, knowing Quinn was particularly fond of that position, but this was…different. Instead of urging her on to her knees the athlete slid her own legs under Rachel's supple ones and with a swift move that left the brunette idly wondering if Quinn had taken up yoga, she locked her feet around the brunette's ankles. The result was her legs were locked in position in a shape similar to a frog's back ones just before it jumped. She barely had time to consider if it felt awkward or not before she felt Quinn enter her in one smooth motion, the tip of the blonde's cock hitting that special spot inside her with the very first thrust. She groaned long and loud and the urge to move her hands to push herself back further and increase the depth of penetration was almost overwhelming. _

_Quinn sensed Rachel's hesitation and tightening her grip on the hair wound around her right hand,__she tugged lightly, digging her nails into the brunette's hip for emphasis. Rachel swiftly but reluctantly backed down and a thrill of power ran through the athlete's body that made her shake slightly with exhilaration. She wondered if Rachel was aware of the pleas that were falling from her lips as she tried to encourage Quinn to start moving again. Enjoying the power she had been given, the blonde rotated her hips with the next slow thrust and smirked when a whimper tore from Rachel's throat. However, the feeling of her unsheathed cock being massaged by Rachel's wet and tightly gripping walls was too much of a temptation and after a few more seconds of hesitation, she pulled out until only the very tip was inside. As Rachel opened her mouth to beg once more, Quinn slammed home and growled lustfully at the cry of pleasure that Rachel let loose loud enough to echo in the small cabin._

_By that point Rachel was too enveloped in the sensations Quinn was setting off in and all over her body and made a vague mental note to ask where she found this position because __**Jesus Christ**__! Her erect nipples were rubbing gloriously against the rug as Quinn continued to pump in and out of her at a rapid pace. The angle her hips were tilted at ensured that her g spot was thoroughly massaged with each and every thrust and the urge to free just one hand and reach down to her clit was becoming too much. Nails digging into her hip pointedly stayed the would be wandering hand and provided a delicious stab of pain that was quickly washed away as she felt herself reaching her peak already. The feeling of Quinn inside her raw was amazing and she suddenly understood why so many women risked pregnancy to experience it. Her sense of despair at approaching her climax so soon was slightly eased when she felt her partner's thrusts becoming jerky. The hand on her hip slid off and underneath to rake a nail across the incredibly alert clit and with a sharp cry, Rachel fell into an orgasm powerful enough that everything went fuzzy for a few seconds, then she heard Quinn's yell of release and felt her come inside of her for the first time, that alone triggered a second orgasm and the next thing she was aware of was being cradled in the athlete's deceptively gentle arms while her girlfriend giggled happily._

"_I __**totally **__made you pass out Berry!"_

_Blinking sleepily, Rachel shot a playful glare at her and rolling onto her back smirked up into the very smug hazel eyes now hovering above her._

"_Once in a lifetime achievement Froot Loop, so enjoy it."_

_Growling slightly, Quinn lowered her head to proceed with marking the diva with a very distinctive hickey, between bites she muttered._

"_We'll see…we'll see."_

Blinking and shaking her head slightly to pull herself out of the reminiscence, Quinn cleared her throat and tried to remember what the point of the conversation was…oh yeah!

"Well, yeah, obviously I do…why, did you not um…not like it?"

Quinn suddenly felt guilty, although Rachel had assured her repeatedly over the weekend that she was definitely enjoying herself the blonde now wondered if that had been nothing more than a front. A fear quickly allayed when the diva reached out and laid a hand on Quinn's knee.

"Don't be silly, of course I did! Or didn't the multiple orgasms, hoarse throat from screaming and scratch marks on your back convince you?"

Flushing a bright red, Quinn subconsciously felt her shoulder blades twitch, it was almost a month ago and she _still _bore some of the marks.

"Okay point taken, but if it wasn't because you hated it then what was it? I mean you were still on birth control right so it can't be that."

She chuckled slightly and waited for Rachel to either join in or slap at her playfully and tell her off for being stupid. The bottom abruptly dropped out of her stomach when instead of either of these reactions, Rachel just looked down guiltily and shredded more tissue. Swallowing on a suddenly closed throat, she was ashamed to hear the squeak of real fear in her voice as she repeated.

"Rach…it _can't _be…right?"

The tissue was now in so many pieces it couldn't even count as confetti and the brunette waved a hand around wildly for a moment before everything spilled out at once.

"I was still on birth control of course I was, I wouldn't take a stupid risk like that if I didn't know for certain but…I was on some antibiotics from the Dr for that tickle in the throat you remember?"

Unable to think let alone _speak _anything approaching a sentence, the blonde just nodded dumbly and Rachel carried on.

"He was hesitant to prescribe one so powerful but as I pointed out to him this is my first major role and I couldn't afford to be a victim of some evil throat disease. Anyway he prescribed them and I just took them without…um well without reading the warnings and one of them was that it could negate the effect of pill based birth control."

She glanced across at Quinn as she chewed on her lip in agitation, she wished the athlete would say something, at this point she'd settle for anything! Quinn however was staring wide eyed at Rachel as though she had grown a second head. Feeling the need to clarify Rachel reached over and pulling out her nightstand drawer revealed not one, not two but over _twelve _home pregnancy kits…all positive. A small but definite whimper fell from the athlete's lips then and Rachel felt her heart twinge painfully at the reaction, it was true they hadn't planned it but it wasn't Quinn who would be the one carrying the child after all!

"It's definite, I had the official result from the Dr this morning…we're having a baby."

Standing abruptly, the blonde started pacing, muttering and running her hands through her hair in agitation. She stopped all of a sudden and whirled on her heel.

"Are you sure, I mean absolutely one hundred percent positive because tests can be wrong, they could be from a faulty batch and…the Dr might have got your results mixed up with someone else's?"

Snorting irritably, Rachel folded her arms.

"Yes Quinn I'm certain! Do you think I would have told you if I wasn't certain, I didn't want to worry you unless I knew for sure."

Nodding the athlete went back to pacing, although the hands had migrated from her hair to twist around each other cracking the knuckles, a gesture Rachel recognised only too well as one of extreme worry on the blonde's part. Sighing Rachel lay back down and curled in on herself, she had known this wouldn't be good news for the two of them but she hadn't thought it would be this bad either. Quinn's next words however had her sitting up with a mixture of disbelief, hurt and white hot anger.

"Did you do this on purpose…to stop me signing up with the Air Force, is that why all of a sudden you let me go raw?"

Brown eyes widened in shock then quickly narrowed as anger set in and she slid from the bed stalking towards Quinn.

"How _dare _you even suggest that I would gamble with the chance of bringing a life into this world just on the off chance it would stop you risking your life! This might surprise you but I let you do that because I love and _trust _you, something that's obviously only one sided!"

Cringing, Quinn ran her hands through her hair and tried to think how to claw her way back from that faux pas, she had known even as she was saying it that Rachel would _never _do something like that but she hadn't been able to stop herself. The next thing she knew the brunette was hurling some clothes into an overnight bag, angry tears falling from her eyes as she literally tore round the room.

"Wait, Rachel I'm _sorry _that was a stupid thing to say and I didn't mean it I just…this is a shock okay!"

Whirling around on her heel, the brunette was still crying as she managed to choke out.

"How do you think it has affected me! It's my body that's going to be the one carrying this child, it's me that has to have their whole life turned upside down and I could be risking a shot at Broadway, so _yes _Quinn believe me when I say that I'm all too aware how much of a shock it is!"

The last three words were literally hissed at the fumbling blonde and then Rachel turned and picked her bag up before stalking out. Swearing under her breath and face palming hard enough to hurt, Quinn ran after her.

"Rachel please don't walk out on me, I know I can be an asshole and that I don't deserve you but _please _don't leave! We can work this out?"

Letting out a long breath, Rachel let her head rest on the doorframe for a few silent but tense minutes. Finally, she spoke up but still didn't turn to face her girlfriend.

"I'm not leaving for good but right now I need to go somewhere else and calm down before we say anything else we might regret. Tomorrow morning I'll meet you at the diner for breakfast and we'll take it from there okay?"

Quinn wiped at her cheeks and wondered when exactly she had started crying, sniffing she shoved her hands deep in her jeans pockets and her voice broke when she started speaking.

"Rae…please just, if you really have to go I guess that some space is the least I can do for you but just _promise _me it's only for one night?"

Torn with the need to reassure Quinn and the need to talk to someone who might understand it from her point of view, Rachel turned enough to finally lock gazes with the athlete.

"I…will stay at Kurt's tonight and we'll talk tomorrow, I still love you and don't intend on leaving you but what you said really hurt me and I need to be somewhere else just for a little bit."

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Quinn dropped her gaze and nodded miserably as Rachel headed out of the door, just before she closed the door the athlete called out.

"I love you cheerio."

A brief smile flickered over the brunette's lips and she nodded.

"I know."

Then the door closed and Quinn closed her eyes as she strained to keep track of Rachel's footsteps towards the lift, mentally calculating the journey, sure enough right on time she heard the engine of the ancient Jeep fire up and pull away. Sighing, she fell onto the threadbare sofa and threw one arm across her eyes before giving into the tears fully. Eventually she cried herself out and found the energy to crawl into bed, she couldn't help a sharp bark of bitter laughter when she felt the beginnings of cramps in her abdomen. In all the confusion and excitement of finally nearing her goal of signing up she had completely forgotten that she was due. Fumbling in her nightstand, she grabbed the bottle of Advil and palmed a couple before burying her head under the pillow, with any luck she could patch things up with Rachel in the morning and they could talk together about what the hell they did next. Due in no small part to the exhaustion she felt from crying herself out earlier she slept deeply, the next morning she woke early and glared at her crotch where her co pilot was standing to attention in all it's morning glory.

"I think you've gotten me into _enough _trouble!"

Closing her eyes, she concentrated hard until her erection wilted away completely, to her chagrin it wasn't difficult, all she had to think about was a life without Rachel, that most _definitely _did it. Scowling deeply, she kicked off the duvet and trudged down the hall into the bathroom still wiping the sleep from her eyes. Yawning widely, she flipped up the toilet seat and started to pee, she couldn't help the slight smile. If there was one thing she enjoyed in a very odd way about her slightly different biology, it was the fact she got to pee standing up. She was almost done when a voice sounded behind her, a voice that she hadn't expected to hear ever again.

"Wow, Sherlock I always wondered if you did the guy thing when you had it or if you still sat down, guess I know now!"

A cold jolt of apprehension crept down her spine and tucking herself hastily back into her boxer shorts, she turned round slowly. Because if she was about to see what she _thought _she was, then either she had finally gone completely mad…or she'd somehow died in her sleep. As soon as she completed the turn, she opened her eyes and her jaw promptly dropped open in shock.

"Y…you, um you're…well this is…you're _dead_!"

Gaby smiled awkwardly and wrinkling her nose slightly, she held both hands out calmingly towards her oldest friend.

"Well, yes, I mean I would hope so considering you went to my funeral. I understand this is probably going to be a _little _difficult for you to absorb all at once but I'm here to help you, well…that and you're going to kind of need me in the next few months."

There were so many things Quinn wanted to say and yet at the same time she was pretty convinced that she must still be sleeping. The result was her mouth was moving, hands flailing but nothing came out, cringing at the confusion in her friend's eyes Gaby tried again.

"Quinn you're going kind of bright red you need to breathe! You also need to kind of get used to seeing dead people…seeing as it's your legacy and all."

"I'm dreaming, _that's _what it is…or, maybe, maybe it's just that the guilt over the argument with Rachel is getting mixed up with the guilt I feel for turning your life support off and now…um, now I'm finally going nuts! Yeah…that's a much more likely explanation than anything else…gotta be."

Her words were coming out shaky, a little abrupt and definitely several octaves higher than normal. Sighing, Gaby tucked her hair behind her ear and walking forward reached up and tugged firmly on Quinn's ear, the athlete gave a yelp and sprang backward, her friend grinning at her slightly guiltily.

"See, _not _a dream, yes I'm here…sort of anyway but I'll get round to explaining that properly later.

Blinking wide confused hazel eyes, Quinn's hand strayed up to touch her reddened ear, at the heat coming from the recently tweaked appendage she managed to utter a squeaked.

"Oh."

Her hand dropped from her ear and she promptly fainted, Gaby managed to catch her before her head hit the edge of the sink, she sighed wearily before easing the athlete to the ground and muttering.

"Yeah, I kinda _thought _you might react like that."

_So…yeah this is going to be a tad different from my other stories it's mostly humour and a little crime solving with the odd clumsy attempt at smut thrown in lol. The main question for you guys is this…do I carry on with this or abandon it as a bad idea? Let me know what you think either through a review or if you would rather a PM. I have to admit I would like to continue it but as __**you **__are the readers it's really up to you. Anyway I hope you liked it but feel free to let me know and remember I still love you even if you hate it lol xxx_


	2. Chapter 2

_And here's the second part, the part where a few things get explained but more questions arise. This will be a bit different to my usual stuff but apart from the occasional emotional moment when Quinn help various spirits, it will be light hearted. There will be no major angst for the two as a couple after Quinn's slight foul up over the pregnancy, but hey she was shocked! They will remain annoyingly happy together as they start the journey or parenthood together…lol, anyway I hope you like and if you have any questions feel free to P.M me xxxx you are all lovely people!_

For a brief bliss filled moment when she came to, Quinn was convinced the whole thing had just been a vivid and unpleasant dream. Sadly that moment did not last and as soon as she opened her eyes, reality came crashing back down…_literally_. Instead of Rachel's gently curled sleep tousled locks next to hers on the pillow, it was the shoulder length auburn hair of her guiltily smiling best friend.

"Hey there sleepyhead, how you feeling now?"

The pilot's reaction was immediate and unequivocal. Letting out a yelp, she scrabbled sideways hurriedly, so hurriedly in fact that she found the edge of the bed sooner than expected. There was a crash as Quinn succeeded in falling into, and therefore dragging down with her, the nightstand. Gaby winced and creeping to the edge of the bed looked downwards to where the blonde lay stunned with a small cut over her eye where the alarm clock fell on her.

"So…still not quite over the shock then?"

Spluttering incoherently, Quinn scrambled to her feet, satisfied that there was only a slight wobble in her step. Running both hands through her hair in agitation, she paced for a moment then touched the ear Gaby had yanked before she fainted.

"This is not…I mean it _can't _be possible, dead people go to…um, well wherever dead people go to, they _don't _turn up in my bathroom when I'm taking a leak!"

Screwing her face up, Gaby sat abruptly upright on the bed.

"Well believe me that wasn't my plan, no offence Sherlock but you _so _aren't my type…besides which you're practically married already, or you were before you fucked up."

Now it was Quinn's turn to grimace before throwing her hands up with a mixture of surrender and helplessness.

"It's not like I planned it! I'm too young to have a baby…I don't even have a freaking job and the Air Force…"

Lifting a hand in a halting gesture, Gaby spoke up.

"You really need to stop worrying about that, right now you're running late."

Face palming loudly, Quinn spun around the room gesticulating wildly enough to cause the mildly amused red head to duck.

"Late for _what _exactly? My job…_nope _don't have one, my social life? _Nope _don't have much of one of those either, breakfast with my girlfriend? Again _no _because she left me!"

Sighing, Gaby just picked some imaginary dirt from under her nails and waited for the pilot to finish her tirade. As silence finally fell, the red head heaved a huge sigh and glanced pointedly at the clock on the unmolested nightstand.

"Actually the last one is exactly the one you're late for! If you would stop panicking for long enough, I would like to remind you that you arranged to meet Rachel for breakfast at the diner…five minutes ago."

Hazel eyes widened with a combination of realisation and remembrance, letting loose a torrent of curse words that turned the air blue, Quinn started scrambling around. She found a pair of jeans with paint stains on she'd been using for decorating and shrugged into them before throwing a USAF hoody on. As she reached the door, she turned on her heel and jabbed a finger in the ghost's direction.

"I have no idea if you're real or if I'm mad…on the off chance I'm not mad, you are gonna damn well explain this all to me when I get back!"

She let the door slam behind her before starting the flat out sprint for the diner at the corner of the street. In the flat, Gaby smiled softly before chewing her lip for a long moment.

"Actually I think I'll just meet you there Sherlock."

In the diner, Rachel was nursing a second cup of coffee already (Decaf of course) and worrying that maybe the thought of being a parent had proven too much for Quinn and she'd left for good. Perhaps she had been wrong to walk out last night but she was so angry that for the first time ever, she had physically wanted to push the blonde away from her. When she'd started driving she had no idea where to go, she had rattled off Kurt's name automatically but once she'd left the flat she remembered that he was spending the weekend with Blaine. Both her and Quinn's parents were back in Ohio and to be honest it wasn't fair to go to them just yet, not when she was fairly sure that she and Quinn would be able to find a way through this. In the end she had gone to Brittany and Santana's, although they were away, she had a spare key for emergencies so it had seemed the most logical choice. Right up until she had automatically answered the phone when it rang that was, she was surprised when it was Brittany herself on the line, apparently she liked to leave messages for Lord Tubbington. Two minutes on the phone and Rachel's hormones had gotten the best of her and she broke down to tell the dancer everything. Now of course she had to explain to Quinn why their two best friends wanted to castrate her…awkward was not the word.

But now as the clock above the counter ticked down to a quarter past nine, she let her eyes drop to the table in front of her. Quinn was _never _late, in fact she was generally at least a quarter of an hour early for everything and Rachel finally admitted to herself that in her heart of hearts, she had expected the blonde to be waiting for her when she'd arrived. It was bad enough when she realised the pilot was nowhere to be seen but now…well, now she was just scared that she wouldn't show up at all, which is probably why she jumped so abruptly when the diner door slammed open abruptly and a breathless, rumpled and harassed-looking Quinn fell through it and practically into the lap of Jenny, one of the friendlier waitresses.

"Whoa there Fabray…your girlfriend's watching! Jesus, no offence Q but you look like _crap_, go sit down and I'll bring you a drink."

Nodding agreement through a mumbled apology, the athlete made her way over to their usual booth and slid in with a small nervous smile.

"Hey Rae…sorry I'm late, sort of had an accident."

Rachel reached out in concern and touched the still weeping cut above Quinn's eye which was starting to bruise nicely.

"What happened Quinn? Did you fall out of bed again?"

The flush on the blonde's cheek became darker and she tried to ignore the chuckling of the regulars that knew them fairly well. Clearing her throat, Quinn reached up and quickly tangled her fingers with the brunette's bringing their joined hands down to the tabletop.

"It's…a long story babe, I just sort of had a rough night because, uh well you know."

She trailed off and shifted in her seat as Rachel simply nodded, she knew Quinn's 'period' dates better than the blonde did.

"Did you um, have a good night with Kurt at least…I missed you Rae it wasn't the same last night trying to sleep without you there and I know I can be an ass but please don't stay away any longer…I'll even sleep on the couch if that will help!"

Smiling slightly sadly, Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand, which was laced with hers and, after a moment, she looked up and locked her gaze with the hazel orbs.

"Quinn…I love you, I don't _want _to leave you but what you said last night;, do you really think I'm capable of doing something like that, lying to your face and using a child like a chess piece?"

The words hurt Quinn, physically stabbed her in the gut, but what hurt more was the sad, almost broken tone that her girlfriend's voice had taken on. Reaching over, she took the diva's other hand and bringing them both to her mouth, kissed them feverishly.

"Rachel, you would never do that and the part of me that said that last night…is the part of me I hate more than you _ever _could. I will do anything to prove to you than not only am I dedicated to you but to our…to…it."

She trailed off with a wince at the conversational stumble, it happened simply because she didn't know if it was a girl or boy. Rachel smiled fondly at the familiar gesture of acknowledgement that the blonde always made when she had no idea what to say. Squeezing the hands in hers, she tugged lightly until Quinn looked back up at her.

"I don't know what it is yet…other than the fact it's our baby, a person created out of love and yes it's true we didn't plan this but I could never…I mean I want to keep it, I want our child."

She found herself holding her breath as she waited for her partner's response, this was what they should have spoken about last night but hadn't. And while she had thought all night about how a pregnancy and small child could affect her, she had also realised that there was no way she could terminate it. The very thought of destroying a life that her girlfriend had created made her sick…literally. However she would have a tough road ahead of her if Quinn had made her mind up that she _didn't _want their child. The blonde however surprised her yet again when she smiled crookedly and leant in as though about to share a great secret, Rachel found herself leaning forward also.

"Are you kidding? Like I could deprive the world of another little Rachel Berry?"

The diva found herself laughing loudly from a mixture of relief, genuine amusement and overwhelming love.

"It's half yours Fabray…don't start pushing it all on to me already!"

They grinned at each other stupidly for a moment like loons before a voice cleared itself; starting they both looked up and Jenny smiled wryly, notebook and pencil poised to take their order.

"I hate to break up this sap fest but the diabetic in the corner was going into a sugar induced coma."

Rachel swatted at the teenager's arm playfully while Quinn snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I know _someone _who won't be getting a tip today."

Jenny just raised an eyebrow and countered swiftly.

"I know _someone _who will end up with turkey bacon instead of the real thing!"

The blonde cringed as though she'd just been asked to wade through a vat of offal, turning it into a playful scowl she sat back.

"Touché, Jennifer…touché!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at the playful banter between the two women, despite the apparent maturity Quinn had on the teenager, she stuck her tongue out before picking up the menu, even though she didn't need it to order. Jenny turned to Rachel first and smiled pleasantly.

"Rachel, what can I get my _favourite _customer on this fine day."

Trying in vain to stifle her giggles, the actress cleared her throat.

"The usual please Jen, vegan fruit pancakes and fruit juice."

Nodding, the order was jotted down and the waitress turned to Quinn with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll have the sausage, bacon, double egg sunny side up, mushrooms, hash browns, grits and grilled tomatoes…oh and the blueberry pancakes…and orange juice."

Both Rachel and Jen looked at her and Quinn had the grace to shrug a shoulder and flush slightly as she mumbled something about not having eaten last night. Jen disappeared with a shake of her head to place their order and the athlete went about pouring sugar and cream into the coffee that had been poured.

"Quinn, are you sure you should be eating all that fried food, you remember what the Dr said on your last visit about your cholesterol level?"

Grumbling slightly, the blonde paused with a loaded spoon of sugar over her drink and rolled her eyes…and then a voice piped up next to her.

"She has a point Quinn, your cholesterol level is through the roof and with a kid on the way you kinda need to start looking after yourself."

At the appearance yet again of the ghost of her best friend from out of nowhere, Quinn literally leapt in her seat squeaking in fright and sending sugar flying with one hand and the mug of coffee with the other…straight into Rachel's lap. The diva yelped in shock and abruptly stood as she scrambled for napkins to clean herself up. Shooting a death glare (as if it would help!) at Gaby, Quinn pulled more napkins from the holder and started to help her startled girlfriend.

"Quinn what on earth is wrong with you this morning? Are you sure you're feeling all right?"

Gesturing to where Gaby was sat in the corner of their booth with a small amused smirk, Quinn tried to think how to explain the sudden presence.

"Well…she sort of just appeared out of nowhere and scared me! Especially as she never mentioned that she would be joining us!"

Gaby opened her mouth to say something, one finger raised to halt the athlete's tirade, Quinn however had other ideas and carried on ranting.

"Jesus Gaby, appearing out of nowhere is bad enough, but seriously, making me jump to the point of sending hot coffee into my girlfriend's lap is so not cool! And he _didn't _say my cholesterol level was through the roof, he said it was in _danger _of going through the roof…and a chance to explain this whole seeing dead people thing to Rachel before you showed up again would have been helpful!"

The last sentence was whispered angrily as Quinn leant halfway back into the booth, after a moment of silence, she realised the entire diner had fallen quiet and her eyes flickered between Rachel's worried expression and Gaby's guilty one. Leaning forward, the redhead cleared her throat and whispered back.

"If you had given me like _five _seconds to speak I would have mentioned that _you're _the only one that I can interact with in the physical world…no one can see me, hear me or feel me but you."

Feeling a cold trickle of dread creep down her spine, Quinn let a breath out of her nose and muttered under her breath.

"So…just now?"

Gaby nodded slightly and looked around the diner, taking in what Quinn couldn't see, the puzzled, amused and worried looks of the other regulars and Rachel.

"Um…yeah they saw you throw sugar and coffee everywhere and right now you're talking to thin air, you sorta look a little nuts Sherlock."

Despite the situation that had just been laid out for her, the blonde couldn't help but throw her hands up in frustration and growl.

"Well you might have mentioned that first thing this morning!"

Gaby winced and held out her hands pleadingly.

"Whoa there Q…take a deep breath okay, you're yelling at thin air again right now and it's freaking out your woman…plus ah between your fainting and throwing yourself all over the place, we didn't _exactly _have time to talk."

Sinking her head into her hands, Quinn just slid back into her seat when she realised that Rachel had done the same. Muttering under her breath, she shot a sideways glance to the spectre.

"Just…be quiet okay, I need to fix things, explanations later!"

Nodding companionably, Gaby smiled and sniffed appreciatively as the stack of plates was laid down in front of the two. Once Jenny had retreated behind the counter again, Rachel toyed with her fork and looking caught between worry and guilt, spoke hesitantly.

"Quinn…I know that this news is slightly shocking but, I didn't think it would send you over the edge! Maybe you should go in for a check-up sweetheart?"

Rubbing the back of her neck to buy some time, the athlete started to think quickly and mentally cursed herself for not paying more attention to Rachel's tips on how to be a convincing actress.

"I…ah well last night I didn't sleep so well because I had a…nightmare! Yeah that's it a real bad vivid nightmare and waking up abruptly from that was what made me fall off the bed and hit my head…and um then just now I sort of had a dream again…flashback and sort of freaked…but I'm okay now I promise."

She smiled a convincing (she hoped) and cheerful smile while she reached for the salt shaker, eventually Rachel sagged with relief and rolled her eyes affectionately.

"I told you before that eating squeeze cheese out of the can before bed is bad for you Froot Loop!"

Grinning back at the woman she loved and thanking all of her and indeed Rachel's lucky stars that the actress had fallen for it, she tried once again to lift the saltshaker.

"I know…one day I'll cure myself of the addiction I promise!"

Internally cursing, she looked down and scowled when she realised the reason she couldn't lift the salt shaker was because Gaby had her hand firmly pressed down on it. Glaring discreetly at the redhead, she motioned with her eyes to the shaker in a direct order, the ghost shook her head and raised her eyebrow.

"No way Fabray, last thing you need is even worse cholesterol than you have, you're lucky I'm letting you eat that coronary on a plate as it is…added salt is a definite no!"

Gritting her teeth, Quinn tried yet again to shift the saltshaker, even going so far as to add her other hand to it. For all her pulling and scowling however she couldn't get the bloody pot to shift and she looked up to see Rachel watching her worriedly yet again.

"Quinn?"

Letting go with a weak smile, the athlete shrugged and picked up her knife and fork resignedly, at least for now anyway.

"I was just debating with myself over whether or not to have salt but I guess with a baby on the way I should take better care of myself huh?"

Smiling blazingly bright, Rachel leant across the table and pressed a soft kiss to Quinn's lips despite the slight taste of bacon on them.

"You really _are _taking this seriously aren't you?"

Gaby smirked and finally took her hand off the saltshaker knowing Quinn wouldn't go back on her word to Rachel. It wasn't that she was here to make life difficult per se for Quinn but she just knew her too well and sometimes she needed a nudge (well, okay a boot up the ass) to make the right decision. The athlete just smiled at Rachel more naturally and nodded.

"Yeah…I guess I am, it's you and me Cheerio…bringing up a kid, and if that isn't gonna take all my concentration then I don't know what will."

Rachel laughed softly and returned to her breakfast, brow furrowed in concentration as she carved up the pancakes into equal sized portions and added little piles of the fruit to each one. She looked up and caught Quinn smiling goofily across at her, flushing slightly the diva murmured.

"What?"

Shrugging and for the moment capable of not thinking about the fact that there was a ghost seated there with them, the pilot answered honestly.

"You're just so cute, the way you arrange your food before eating it…it's cute."

Smiling in mild embarrassment, the diva rolled her eyes and went back to eating, Quinn began shovelling in food eagerly to quiet her rumbling stomach. Gaby pulled a face at the sight but thankfully didn't say anything; in fact it was Rachel that caused her to almost choke on her mouthful this time.

"Quinn, sweetie I don't want to pressure you on…well on _anything _but have you thought what you're going to do about the Air Force?"

Although she had been thinking about nothing else in the back of her mind, it seemed too soon to be facing the actual question. Swallowing her mouthful hastily, she reached for her juice to wash away the lump that felt like it had got lodged in her throat. It was Gaby that was the first to speak (not that Rachel could hear her) but what she said was so casual and definite that the reaction from her best friend was almost guaranteed.

"Oh that's easy enough to answer, tell her you're not joining up."

Although the statement came out casually enough, it had been carefully calculated on the part of the red head. Again she felt more than a twinge of jealousy but she had a job to do here and although it would take Quinn a while to adjust to the idea…this was how things were meant to be, it was destiny. The blonde whose jaw dropped in shock for a moment did exactly what Gaby knew she would and repeated the pertinent part of the statement aloud as if for clarification.

"I'm not joining?"

Although it actually came out as more of a question than a statement, it was _all _Rachel had been waiting for her to say and she jumped on it as a statement…just as Gaby had known she would, seeing as she was invisible to the diva.

"Quinn…do you mean it, do you _really _mean it, you're going to stay with me and get a job in New York!"

Caught between denial, panicked laughter and the urge to strangle her already dead friend, Quinn licked the crumbs of hash brown and egg yolk from her lips and knew she was fucked. As far as Rachel was concerned, all she had said was that she would give it up, give up her dream of joining the USAF and following in her father's footsteps. She glanced sidelong at Gaby and noticed the look of guilt and sorrow that was quickly smothered, whatever was going on it seemed the red head had as much choice as she did. She switched her gaze back to Rachel and really _looked _at the woman she loved, no matter how it had happened, the two of them were going to be raising a child together and it was clear the diva was scared. Swallowing down the bitter regret she felt at acknowledging the loss of her dream, Quinn reached over and taking Rachel's hand answered honestly.

"Yeah…I mean it baby, I'll find a job here somewhere and we'll do this together."

What happened next came as a shock to everyone, Gaby gaped, the patrons watched with amused cheers and whistles and Jenny and the other wait staff clutched their chests at the romance of it. Quinn for her part was too shocked to do anything as she watched Rachel sweep hers and the blonde's plates to one side as she crawled over the tabletop and into her girlfriend's lap. At that point, she started kissing her so soundly that the cause of their little drama popped up to say hello as well. Rachel's dark eyebrow rose at the bulge she could feel underneath her and Quinn shifted awkwardly in her seat, panting for air now that Rachel had finally let go of her.

"I…didn't expect that! I think you just gave poor old Bernard a heart attack!"

The blonde half smiled as she gestured over to the old guy in the corner who was having his usual breakfast before heading to his little newsstand. He shook his head in dismissal but grinned fondly at the two of them before disappearing back into his car parts catalogue. Rachel blushed bright red and slipped from Quinn's lap, the athlete quickly grabbed a napkin to throw over her lap and moved closer to the table. Once they had managed to muddle out whose plate was whose in the mess of crockery Rachel had created, they went back to their breakfasts and tried to ignore the giggles around them.

"Way to go Rae, you pretty much devoured me in front of the entire diner…and we have to actually find me a job first. I mean I suppose at first I can help out at the airfield again, they always have work on, at least until I can find something more permanent, oh shit when do we have to start thinking about scans and all that stuff!"

Rachel reached out and shook her head in mild wonder as she laid a calming hand on one of Quinn's wildly gesticulating ones.

"Calm down love, the Dr wants to see us both for the first ultrasound just to confirm everything is okay. I'll ring and make the appointment this afternoon okay?"

Trying to get her sudden case of nerves under control, the athlete nodded loosely and went back to her pancakes. Yeah, okay she was going to give up her dream but…maybe it wasn't so much giving it up as trading it in for a new one. One that featured her, Rachel a little boy or girl and…well okay, that was as far as she got so far, but it was good enough. She realised Rachel was watching her and swallowing her mouthful down, she rubbed the back of her neck self- consciously.

"What…do I have food on my face again or something?"

The little diva giggled.

"No more than usual sweetie, but that wasn't it…I was just wondering what you were thinking about, you had a really dopey grin on your face just now. Oh and you _do _have egg yolk on your top, which is inside out by the way."

Glancing down at the offending food matter, Quinn cursed under her breath and wiped at it with a napkin, looking back up when she'd finished the clumsy attempt, she gave a half shrug.

"I was…sort of thinking about how awesome it was gonna be with you me and a miniature you."

Rolling her eyes but flushing red in embarrassment at the compliment, Rachel plucked a strawberry from Quinn's pancakes.

"Well what about if it happens to be a miniature you, I'm sure your mom wouldn't complain if it was. I don't mind what our child is so long as he or she is healthy."

Gaby cleared her throat and seeing that Rachel was looking down at her plate again, Quinn glanced over and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"We need to get back to your place Sherlock, there's still so much we need to talk about, and it has to do with your 'job' that you're so worried about."

Sighing internally, the athlete just nodded imperceptibly and turned back to her girlfriend.

"Do you have to go in today? I mean wouldn't they consider giving you the day off, after all it isn't every day you fall pregnant."

Shaking her head, Rachel finished her fruit juice and wiped at her mouth delicately.

"Sadly no, the show most definitely still goes on, at least for now anyway. Which is annoying because whether it's from finally acknowledging the pregnancy or the drama it's caused, I'm incredibly exhausted."

Forgetting about Gaby and her own worries for a moment, Quinn frowned deeply and set her cutlery down on the now empty plate.

"Is that like…normal, I mean for you to be this tired so soon and all?"

The brunette patted Quinn's hand soothingly.

"Calm down baby, we'll know more when we go and see the Dr and have the ultrasound. Until then try to stop worrying so much, I'm fairly sure it's all the worrying I was doing that has me feeling so tired. Now, get home and get some rest then I guess we need to plan who to tell, when and how."

Reluctantly Quinn nodded, she didn't really want to let Rachel out of her sight anymore, she was the mother of her kid after all! Forcing down the sudden surge of over- protectiveness, the blonde stood and leaving money on the table, walked out with Rachel.

"I don't want you to go to work…is that slightly odd? I want you to come home and snuggle with me on the sofa all day while we argue over what films to watch."

Reaching up on her tiptoes, Rachel smiled and pressed a soft kiss first to the bruised cut above her girlfriend's eye then a deeper more intense one on the slightly parted smiling lips.

"I have to admit I want the same, but we have to start putting our money away now so a day off work is a definite no. Now go home, clean up and get a few more hours sleep and I'll see you this evening."

Trying hard not to pout, the pilot shoved her hands in her pocket's and leaning down stole another kiss, then just one more before the reluctant diva finally separated herself from Quinn and made her way down towards the car park where the jeep was.

"That's a good point, going to have to trade that in and get something safe enough for a car seat…and a car seat."

Sighing happily, she started the walk back towards the brownstone that housed their flat on the corner. Gaby fell into step beside her and commented casually as she took in her best friend's dopey grin.

"You know talking to yourself is the first sign of madness Fabray."

Raising a sardonic blonde eyebrow, Quinn found herself replying smoothly.

"Does it trump talking to your dead best friend?"

Rolling her eyes, the redhead just accepted the hit gracefully as they walked, when they stepped into the flat, the blonde automatically started picking up the scattered clothes she had left all over the apartment that morning in her haste to make it to the diner. Gaby perched herself on the sofa and just watched for a while but when it was clear Quinn was going into a full on cleaning session in preparation for Rachel's return, she started talking.

"We still have to discuss this Q, I mean aren't you even curious about _why _I'm here, why I can see you, touch you?"

Looking up from where she was polishing the battered coffee table, Quinn sighed and reaching up, rubbed the back of her neck. For a moment, Gaby thought she wasn't going to get an answer and then the athlete sank into the sofa next to her.

"I suppose I'm still half convinced that I'm going nuts…that none of this is real but something tells me that is wishful thinking."

Smiling in an apologetic manner, Gaby tucked her feet under her and got comfortable, Quinn just waited patiently.

"Okay, well this seeing dead people thing, it won't just stop with me. The good news, if you want to see it that way is, I'm the only one who can physically interact with you, because we were close when…um before."

The redhead trailed off and closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about the mess her life had become and how it had ended. Quinn fought the urge to reach over and touch her, she wasn't sure if it would be welcomed or not. Eventually, Gaby reopened her eyes and acted as though there hadn't even been a pause in her speech.

"But yeah…it sort of runs in your family, the ability to talk to and see the dead. Mostly because you're their last chance to finish whatever business it is they have before passing over."

The athlete held up a hand and her friend obediently fell silent for a moment, after all this was going to be one heck of a lot to take in and bite-size chunks were probably going to be necessary. After a few seconds of silence, Quinn managed to pull herself together enough to find a coherent question.

"All right, lets just say for a minute that I buy into this whole legacy thing, would you mind explaining why my mom never talked to me about it?"

Gaby nodded and making sure she was allowed to speak, stated to clarify the situation.

"Well, your mom only knows that her Grams used to have this ability to see things others couldn't and that it wasn't something she needed to be scared of. There hasn't been the need for a Spirit Ranger until now, so your mom and _your _Grams never needed to have the gift."

Holding up a hand again, the athlete sat forward on the edge of the sofa and rubbed her face hard with both hands in the vain hope that it might help her understand this.

"Okay…just hold on a moment. My mom knows about this 'gift' but she decided to not tell me because…?"

Rolling her eyes at her friend, Gaby fought the urge to face palm.

"Because she might not have had to, and to be fair you had enough to worry about without bringing up some ancient family legacy that may or may not have been relevant to you. Although she knew you had the…um well you know, the usual thing that happens when a Ranger is picked."

Sitting back again, Quinn grit her teeth and managed to growl out.

"Explain?"

There was a huff from the ghost who folded her arms and took a moment to gather her thoughts before going on.

"Okay…this gift has been in your family for a long time Quinn, as in the start of _time _type of long. The women are the ones that carry the gene but it isn't always needed, you see there's a sort of balance that has to be maintained. Most people think when you die you go up or down but it doesn't quite work that way…it's more like walking past a barrier and on the other side of it things look different."

Hazel eyes opened curiously and one blonde eyebrow crept back towards Quinn's hairline.

"Wait…I look different to you now that you're on the other side?"

The ghost smirked.

"Yup, but that's my secret and not something you need to know to be able to understand your destiny."

Throwing her hands up, the athlete pouted and made a rolling gesture to get Gaby to carry on.

"Anyway, there are a certain number of souls that pass on to the cellar or the penthouse, but on top of that, there are those on spiritual journeys working their way through different lives. But the main problem is that there is a finite amount of space in the Tween world for the restless spirits, and right now it's getting kinda packed to capacity."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Quinn screwed her eyes up muttering.

"The Tween world…okay so the area that the restless spirits hang around in is getting crowded and given my title is apparently 'Spirit Ranger' I take it I have to guide them over somehow?"

Gaby nodded happily before rushing on.

"Exactly! And there are very few things that can tie a person to the Tween, mostly it's because the spirit came to a grisly end as a mortal and can't rest until their murder is solved. So I guess in a way you're sort of a detective as well because the only way you get them across is to do what they couldn't and solve it."

Letting both hands fall from her lap with a dull thud onto the sofa, Quinn's head swivelled towards her best friend's.

"I have to do what an _entire _police department can't do and solve a crime? You know it's not like on T.V right? I mean S is a cop and I know damn well how hard they work."

Sighing, Gaby settled back on the sofa again and waited for Quinn to stop muttering under her breath.

"I'm aware of that Sherlock, but the fact is you have always had an uncanny ability to get to people to talk to you and, to trust you. There was a reason you were so obsessed with the idea of Private Detection as a career when you were a kid. It's in your blood; it's what you were born to do…just not in the conventional way. I know the cops work hard but they can't _talk _to the victim and they don't have the manpower to work these cases like you will."

Rubbing the back of her neck hard enough to make something pop, the athlete stood and started pacing again as she started to clean the entertainment centre.

"So I'm supposed to tell Rachel that rather than getting a steady dependable job to help support her and our child, I'm going to be looking into unsolved cases from God knows how long ago…because I can actually talk to the victims? Yeah she won't think I'm insane at all!"

Gaby chewed on her lip and tried to think what she could get away with revealing whilst still staying within the parameters she had been set.

"Rachel loves you and she knows you…I think she would take it better than you think, besides which, she already knows you're not exactly a run of the mill young lady."

Quinn frowned and the ghost gestured vaguely towards the athlete's crotch, the frown grew even deeper and hazel eyes swivelled over to lock onto Gaby's.

"Does this, I mean does it have something to do with this whole legacy thing then?"

Gaby couldn't help but smirk as she drawled.

"Well how many women do you know that grow a penis every month Quinn? I mean didn't it occur to you exactly how individual that little skill was?"

Replacing her model of the SR2 Normandy on top of the shelf in front of her, the athlete chewed on her lip in thought.

"I mentioned it to mom once or twice and dad was just so casual about the whole thing that I never thought of it as being particularly strange. I mean I figured that other girls got it too but no one talked about it."

The ghost smiled as she yawned and stretched out on the sofa.

"Well trust me _you _are the only one who has that talent and there is indeed a good reason, it's what I told you earlier about the gene being exclusively in the females and on the off chance that the female in question doesn't like men…as with you , this little skill was granted to your bloodline. Apparently it's used more often than not, you Fabray's are pretty gay you know."

Shooting a glare at the relaxed spectre on her sofa, Quinn glanced around the flat and realised it was sparkling. Sitting down on the edge of the table across from Gaby, she propped her elbows on her knees and sighed.

"So…what can I expect, I mean am I gonna wake up and find spirits at the end of the bed or something because Rachel won't like that, somehow me waking up in screams might not be so good for her stress levels. And whether the…um people in charge of all this like it or not, I will be working because I have a kid on the way, I can catch some flying jobs down at the airstrip."

Gaby crossed her hands together and rested them on her belly; she seemed to be thinking to herself and after a while, she gave a small nod.

"That's a good idea and no the spirits won't be able to enter your house if you don't want them to. Look I know this is sort of like stepping on a landmine for you Q, I mean one moment things are normal and the next boom…bedlam but it's destined, and it's all going to work out, you just have to trust that."

Quinn let out a long breath and propped her chin in her hands while she thought, it wasn't like she had much choice by the sound of it but the next time she made it to her mom's house they were going to be having the granddaddy of all discussions about this! There was still the vague chance that she had just gone mad but things didn't feel different…apart from of course suddenly being able to talk to the ghost of her best friend.

The difficult part she could see, was going to be balancing a supposedly normal life with this other one, this Ranger thing she apparently had to do. But…despite her urge to join the Air Force, she couldn't deny that she actually felt sort of right about this. Gaby's words about Rachel actually being accepting of this held a ring of truth as well but she wouldn't be testing that for a while. It seemed that as with a child on the way, needing to get a decent paying job and helping dead dudes pass over, she was going to be busy.

"One more question and then I guess I'm okay for now…actually two more questions but only one is about this destiny of mine. How exactly will I know when someone needs me?"

Gaby licked her lips thoughtfully before speaking.

"I will direct them to you when both they and you are ready, some cases are more difficult than others Q, I'll warn you now. Usually I'll try and signal you somewhere to let you know I need to talk to you and then I'll bring them across to work with you, it won't be a surprise like this time…which I'm sorry about by the way but I couldn't help it, I mean you're pretty impressive Fabray."

Colouring a bright red, Quinn glared again and growled.

"Which brings me neatly to my second question, actually it's not a question but a rule of my own…_no _barging in Armaro! Rae and I like to enjoy each other and the last thing I need is you popping in and offering me advice on technique!"

Grinning, the ghost's eyes twinkled with mirth but she quickly assumed a sombre expression and crossed her heart with a forefinger.

"I promise that there will be absolutely no surprise visits…unless there's some dire emergency or valid reason for me to do so that is."

Quinn's voice dropped dangerously low and she murmured warningly.

"Gaby…!"

Smiling serenely, the redhead rose smoothly to her feet and feigned checking her watch.

"Well, I hate to chat and run but I have something else I need to go and attend to. For now you work on things with Rachel, pick up some shifts at the airfield and do things I'm not allowed to walk in on. When the time comes I'll let you know, I shall try and give you both enough time to settle yourselves into some sort of routine but I really would advise you to take Rachel with you when you decide to talk to your mother about this…and do it soon."

With that, Gaby started to walk towards the door and suddenly it was too soon for Quinn to lose her again, it had been a crazy morning and all they'd talked about was this spirit ranging stuff. There was so much more she wanted to talk about, things she wanted to ask about…what had happened and she shot to her feet taking several hasty steps toward the ghost.

"Wait I mean…that's it? You don't get to stay and chat about things that aren't to do with this legacy thing? I mean it's…I've missed you and there's been so much over the last five years I want to tell you about…?"

Turning back, Gaby smiled the smile that Quinn remembered all too well, the real one and the athlete felt a lance of pain shoot through her as she acknowledged exactly how close they had been and what they had both lost.

"Hey…it's okay Q, I was around, I saw you graduate, I saw you run like the wind in all those track meets. You went on to be amazing, you _are _amazing and I missed you too, so much. One day we'll get our chance to talk Sherlock but not yet, not now."

With that she literally disappeared, one minute she was there, the next Quinn blinked and she was gone. Standing stock still for the longest time, the blonde finally slumped back down onto the sofa and remembering Rachel's advice from earlier, forced herself to head to the bathroom. She felt drained, as though she had run several miles at a constant sprint and then gone swimming for an hour. It was an odd kind of lethargy that meant every time she tried to focus on Gaby and their lost time, her mind just slid back to mundane tasks, unable to focus. By the time she put a load of washing on and had a shower it was mid afternoon and she realised that sleep didn't sound so bad after all. She managed to get to the bed but fell asleep half in and half out of the covers, she was therefore completely unaware when Gaby appeared again and tucked her in properly with a sad smile.

"Rest up Q, you're gonna need it."


	3. Chapter 3

_Here we are with another chapter of the wild and crazy world of Going Loopy lol, again I apologise in advance for the smut but it sort of had to happen for the scene I had in mind to occur. Anyway I hope you enjoy it and just to let you know it won__'__t be an entirely linear story in that sometimes I'll skip a few days sometimes a week, it all depends but I will always make sure to let you know where in the pregnancy they are! The first four or five chapters __**will **__follow each other however as our Faberry girls get their heads round the changing circumstances both with the baby and the emergence of Quinn's gift. This chapter is all about them and the baby, the next one will be half and half with them finally telling their parents and Quinn helping her first spirit. Let me know what works and what doesn't and have a kiss and hug too xoxo thanks guys!_

It was past seven that evening when Rachel let herself back into their small but homely apartment. Quinn heard the door open and wiped her hands hastily on the apron that the little diva often wore when preparing meals. In her eagerness to prove how sorry she was for the thoughtless comment the night before, Quinn had decided to cook dinner as a surprise. She cast her hazel eyes round swiftly taking in the small table set for two with candles and a vase of tulips, Rachel's favourite flowers. The meal was in the oven keeping warm and the dishes were already washed, dried and stacked away from the meal's preparation. Letting out a nervous breath, she made her way to the doorframe and smiled softly as she leant on it and watched the diva taking in their now sparkling home with a small puzzled smile.

"How was the show today?"

The smile went from puzzled to fond and turning round, the brunette tried her best to emulate the famous arched eyebrow as she spoke.

"What's with the apron Quinn, you know you and the kitchen don't normally mix well…apart from cereal, and sometimes toast."

Blushing a bright red, the pilot pushed herself off of the doorframe with an eye roll and walking over slowly, she stuffed her hands in her back jeans pockets.

"I wanted to…ya know, make up for being an asshole so I did the cleaning and then decided to try and cook your favourite meal."

Letting her bag sink to the floor with a light thud, Rachel took the last few remaining steps that separated them and wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she sweetly kissed the pilot's lips murmuring.

"Hey…forget about last night okay? I sort of sprung it on you and it's no surprise that you ended up succumbing to word vomit. _Today _is the start of us, as in you me and junior and we won't mention last night again…okay?"

It was what Quinn had desperately wanted to hear and she almost sagged with relief into Rachel's arms. Sure, they had said as much at breakfast that morning in the diner but a whole day had passed since then! In the back of her mind, the situation with Gaby tried to prod her into confessing all about that as well, but there would be time for that later, right now she had a girlfriend to make feel special.

"I promise…now, if you make your way to the bathroom I think you'll find that _someone _has run you a bath with your favourite oils and stuff, so go relax and I'll bring you a glass of wine."

Rachel tilted her head slightly.

"You know I don't have to drink baby, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Smiling slightly, Quinn brushed the diva's hair gently away from her eyes, leaning forward she pressed a gentle kiss to the slightly creased forehead. The subject of the blonde's alcoholism rarely, if ever, came up between the two of them. In fact it was only ever referred to when they went to Rachel's cast parties, even then it was a silent conversation. The brunette would glance at her to ask if she was okay, Quinn would smile gently, pick a glass of juice for herself and one of white wine for Rachel as a way of reassuring her. But this was different; Rachel chose to never drink at their flat just because she didn't want to make Quinn uncomfortable in her own home.

"Rae…shush okay? I'm fine with this or I wouldn't have suggested it, _I _can't drink but I happen to know that after a stressful day you like to relax in the tub with a glass of decent chardonnay, or maybe a Chablis. You generally haven't since we moved in together unless I'm away or working, but I want you to know it's fine with me. However it's non alcoholic this time, seeing as junior there might not approve."

Flushing a bright red, Rachel face palmed and as this was a gesture more commonly associated with the blonde, Quinn couldn't help herself and burst into peals of laughter while her girlfriend scolded herself.

"I can't believe I forgot that _already_…no alcohol, no caffeine, oh lord there's so much I'm going to have to find out about what I can and can't eat, where do I even get this information from? Is there a list of foods and drinks or…"

Stepping forward so there was now not even a millimetre of space between them, Quinn kissed Rachel, firmly and thoroughly. It started out as a comforting kiss, one meant to relax the diva and calm her enough to be able to think rationally. It quickly progressed however and the air became thick between them as hands snuck under the material of shirts and buttons came undone. Abruptly, the blonde pilot stepped back and quickly clamped her hands over her groin to hide the evidence of her arousal. Swallowing a few times, she tried to look anywhere but at the blown pupils and kiss-swollen lips of the diva before her.

"Wow…okay um, you should go take that bath and, um, relax while I…um, what was I doing? Oh yeah…the dinner, so you go relax and I'll…do that."

Rachel raised an eyebrow in a way she knew the blonde found extremely sexy.

"But I could relax so much more efficiently if you were to _join _me you know?"

Well _that _was a clear invitation but it wasn't how Quinn had planned this night at all! This was meant to be all about Rachel, forcing herself to look away, the blonde swallowed thickly again and closing her eyes counted to ten slowly before re-opening them.

"I…would _like _to but I'm trying to be selfless here Rae, I want to spoil you tonight…please? Just let me do this for you, take care of you and then later I promise we can do whatever you want."

Heart melting at the emotion behind the gesture Rachel smiled softly and cupped one of the pilot's flushed cheeks with a gentle hand.

"In that case, I shall go and soak for a bit while you finish preparing our meal."

Smiling in relief, Quinn nodded and watched as the diva stepped back and headed towards the bathroom. She abruptly turned as well and was halfway to the kitchen when Rachel's soft voice piped up behind her. Looking over her shoulder at the little diva, Quinn had to swallow yet again as she registered the look of pure lust being thrown her way.

"But…after we eat I feel it fair to warn you that I plan to tie you down and ride you until one of us breaks."

There was a squeak at that, a squeak that Quinn was mortified to realise had come from her! She slapped both hands over her mouth, abruptly going bright red; Rachel chuckled in a low voice and pointed to the pilot's crotch with her chin.

"Um…not your mouth you need to cover if you want me to leave you alone right now sweetheart."

Going an even darker shade of red, the blonde tried to look both indignant and mortified at the same time as she backed into the kitchen, the result was a weird sort of facial gymnastics move that caused Rachel to giggle as she retreated (finally!) to the safety of the bathroom. Knowing emergency methods were needed if she was going to make it through dinner and desert, Quinn grabbed a bag of frozen corn from the freezer and pressed it to her crotch with a wince, waiting for it to take effect and murmuring under her breath about dumpster contents and her mom and Steve doing it. She sighed in relief as her co pilot returned to it's 'at ease' position.

"I swear she's going to kill me! _Actually _kill me, death by sex…NO! Not thinking about that, thinking about, um…dinner, yeah, check on the dinner and…stuff."

Huffing out a breath, she went back to making sure everything was ready to be served and when she heard the gurgle of the tub draining, opened the oven with only a mild curse (she always burnt herself on the stupid grill) and extracted the portabello mushroom's with herbed tofu stuffing. She was sliding the plates onto the table when she caught the familiar whiff of the diva's perfume. Looking up, the blonde pilot just managed to stop herself from squeaking again. Rachel had changed into one of the long gown's she always wore for special events, it was a very deep blue and swept down in one long flowing length of shimmering material to rest a centimetre above her bare feet. Oddly, the gorgeous gown accompanied by bare feet and the long free-flowing slightly curled dark locks was mesmerising. Forcing herself to breathe again, Quinn cleared her throat and looked down at her own faded jeans and worn pilot's shirt with chagrin.

"I wish I'd known you were going to dress up, I feel underdressed now?"

Sliding into her seat, Rachel's eyebrows rose at the seemingly perfectly edible starter in front of her, glancing up at Quinn, she noticed the slightly amused look on the pilot's face.

"Don't look so surprised Rae, I _can _cook when I put my mind to it you know, it's just that usually when it's just me I'm happy to eat cereal…and of course whatever there is that fits between two slices of bread."

The diva shook her head with fond amusement and let Quinn pour the elderberry 'wine' into both their glasses and take her own seat.

"I'm not implying you can't cook honey, just that you didn't have to. I am however very impressed and intend to enjoy this evening thoroughly. What else have you managed to cook up then?"

Smiling crookedly, the pilot scratched her eyebrow and gestured with her fork towards the oven.

"Well, I wasn't sure for the main but in the end I plumped for the grilled potato slices, roasted celeriac and squash with the honey glaze and those Quorn patty things you like."

Rachel smiled happily at that, tilting her head to one side she took a mouthful of the mushroom and moaned slightly in a way that made Quinn pause with her fork halfway to her open mouth. Shrugging, and slightly embarrassed by the involuntary noise she had made, the little diva murmured.

"What? You did a good job, _really _good in fact…if you keep this up I'll insist on at least one day a week with you in the kitchen, besides it will be good practice for when junior arrives."

Swallowing her mouthful, Quinn had to agree she had done a fairly good job for once, then the latter part of Rachel's sentence sank in and she frowned slightly as she cut another slice of the mushroom.

"What do you mean, don't babies just like, eat formula for the first few months, and then they have all that canned baby food stuff, some of it tastes real good actually especially the puddings."

Deciding it was better not to question Quinn as to where and why she had been eating baby food, Rachel just addressed the initial part of the statement.

"Well, yes they do, but I was thinking that in preparation for actual meals we should make it a point to liquidise some of whatever it is _we _are having. Apparently it's a way of avoiding fussy eating when you wean a child onto solid's."

Taking a sip of the surprisingly good fake wine, Quinn just shrugged slightly.

"Where did you read that? I mean, because I guess that I need to start reading up on stuff like this as well. I don't want junior there to pop out and me be about as well informed as a monk is on sexual positions."

Barking an amused laugh, Rachel shook her head slightly and topped up her and Quinn's glasses before answering.

"It's just some conversations I overheard the other cast members having, I intend to hit the book store tomorrow and buy every single book I think might help us, including one on names. I suppose we will have to start picking some, well, once we know what junior is…if you _want _to know that is."

Swirling the last slice of mushroom around the plate to smother it in the sauce, Quinn thought hard for a moment. There were valid reasons to knowing ahead of time, just as there were for _not _knowing, mostly though it came down to personal choice.

"What about you, do you want to know? I mean it would be cool because we would know how to decorate things and what colour clothes to buy, but then again we could use neutral colours and just not know…do you have a preference?"

Rachel also finished the mushroom and mulled over the question while Quinn set about putting the plates in the sink and serving up the main. Swirling the cordial in her glass, she pursed her lips as it occurred to her that she really had no strong feelings either way, she was just glad they were doing this together. When her plate was set in front of her she gently caught the pilot's hand and smiled softly.

"How about we just let it be a surprise? I mean…its enough to know that whatever junior is they're healthy isn't it? And I have never been one to go for pigeonholing a baby based on their sex, why pink for girls and blue for boys? I say we just buy whatever we think our baby will like regardless of the colour."

Leaning down, Quinn stole a kiss from surprised lips and pulled back with a smile.

"I think that's a bloody marvellous idea love."

After that they sat down to enjoy the rest of their meal together, making small talk about Rachel's cast mates, Quinn's last flight job which featured a for real eccentric millionaire who only spoke in riddles, and of course when to tell everyone else about junior. Throughout the meal however, Quinn had to studiously avoid Rachel's gaze from time to time as the little diva was clearly intent on fulfilling her earlier carnal promises, Quinn however was just as determined to get through the meal first. The pilot managed to get the dishes into the sink to soak and turn the coffee machine on before she felt hands slide around her waist from behind. Smiling slightly, she leant backwards into Rachel's embrace, reaching up and around to tangle her fingers through the sleek dark mane of hair.

"So…we're skipping the coffee then?"

There was a low rumble of laughter behind and she felt the small even teeth of her girlfriend nip not so lightly at the nape of her neck and she shivered.

"Oh, Quinn you know that coffee is only ever used as a euphemism, haven't you learned _anything _from all those romantic comedies I've made you sit through?"

Smirking at the teasing tone in her lover's voice, Quinn turned round and arching an eyebrow, she drawled.

"So all those Starbucks stores are what…a front for bordello's?"

Narrowing her eyes at the implied challenge in Quinn's voice, Rachel decided to play along. Smiling silkily she ran a forefinger lightly down one of the pilot's cheek's before following the line of her jaw until it hooked into the collar of the loose shirt.

"Oh yes, indeed, it's why they're always so popular with hurried businessmen and harassed P.A's. Why do you think so many of the drinks feature words like 'Vanilla', or 'Dark'…it's all an intricate code."

Licking her lips nervously, the blonde found her hands sliding over the sleek almost velvety material of the blue gown until they hooked around the gloriously curved hips of the diva.

"_Soooo_…when I order a Vanilla latte with cinnamon sprinkles, what am I _actually _ordering?"

Grinning wickedly, Rachel turned on her heel but kept her finger hooked into the neck of the pilot's shirt as she headed for the bedroom, the result being that Quinn had to half stumble as she was led down the hall. Although Rachel normally liked to take charge in the bedroom, this new pregnant Rachel, it seemed, was looking to take that to a whole new level! The bedroom door crashed into the wall behind it with enough force to shake the framed photo's which hung on it, Quinn's gasp of surprise was swallowed by the diva's mouth which had latched onto the pilot's and was plundering it mercilessly. For a few seconds, Quinn was stunned into immobility and then her libido caught up with recent events, fumbling slightly in her eagerness, she pulled clumsily at the zip of Rachel's gown, trying desperately to remove it. Eventually she slid her hands under the dress and up the toned stomach, over to familiar and favoured territory. She smirked happily into the kiss when the palms of her hands grazed over the diva's very pointed nipples, unable to resist, she let both her thumb nails lightly scrape across the lace- covered peaks. Not happy about Quinn wresting back control, Rachel narrowed her eyes playfully and trapped the pilot's lower lip between her teeth, pulling on it with enough force that Quinn had to move her head along with Rachel's, until she was released. After licking at the abused lip with an almost kitten like tenderness, Rachel placed her hands firmly on her girlfriend's belt buckle and yanked her forwards until there was barely space to breathe between them.

"Nuh uh Fabray…this is _my _make up sex remember? That means _I _am the one calling the shots. So what you're going to do is put your hands behind your back, take hold of your belt and keep them there, okay?"

She framed it as a question but it was clearly an order, and although this was new territory, Quinn had to admit she was _more _than game, plus she did kind of owe Rachel for being an ass so…her hands flew to where they were ordered and grasped the worn leather of her belt. Once she was certain her orders had been followed Rachel smiled happily and released the belt buckle before undoing the buttons of the faded 501's. The evidence of Quinn's arousal was straining to break loose from the confines of the…Garfield(?) boxer shorts. Looking up with an arched and extremely amused eyebrow, Rachel looked pointedly at the cartoon cat face down in a pan of lasagne then back at her girlfriend whose red flush now had nothing to do with arousal.

"_What_…it's laundry day remember?"

The shy grumbled excuse was just too cute and if Rachel was going to be getting her freak on then those damned adorable shorts had to go! Trying to maintain her commanding air, the diva stepped back and crossing her arms spoke evenly.

"Okay Fabray, lose the jeans and the shorts then lay on the bed, hands on the pillow above your head though…_no _touching tonight."

Looking up from where she was sliding the offending articles of clothing down her legs, Quinn looked pained.

"Aw come on! That's _so _not fair…any other rule I can totally agree with but no touching? I mean…that's just cruel, have you _seen _yourself, it would be like going to the Louvre but closing your eyes when you get to the Mona Lisa."

Trying not to be charmed by the fact her girlfriend had just compared her to the most famous and enigmatic painting of all time (and failing miserably), the diva just maintained her strict look.

"I _will _restrain you if I have to…this is my night remember."

She stalked over with measured footsteps until she was standing next to Quinn, who was now naked from the waist down and was yanking on the hem of her shirt in a futile effort to hide her eager co pilot from view. Rachel just laughed slightly and reaching down with one hand, took a firm hold of the straining cock, her other hand tangling itself in the short hairs at the nape of the blondes neck.

"So…tell me, _am _I going to have to restrain you?"

Suddenly wishing she had something inoffensive to do with her hands like put them in her pockets, Quinn just grasped at empty air and held them out to the side trying desperately not to reach out for the gorgeous woman in front of her…to no avail, to hell with this! Forgetting Rachel's rules and letting herself truly realise what she could have lost last night with her stupidity she surged forwards and half lifted, half threw them both down onto the bed. She landed on top and started wrestling Rachel's clothes off, the brunette was just as determined to win this little battle of wills and there was the sound of material tearing as the shirt and gown ended up victims in the erotically charged tussle. Quinn was normally the stronger of the two of them but only by a whisker, however this time she had a severe handicap. Something that she realised when the little diva managed to reverse their positions and gain the top spot. Quinn was all set to buck Rachel off of her effortlessly when she felt the very strong, very lithe legs of the talented stage performer trap her extremely sensitive co pilot between them. At that point she stopped moving and just narrowed her eyes in playful defeat, panting breathlessly.

"I'm pretty sure that counts as an illegal move Rae…but…not gonna argue."

Leaning down, Rachel pressed a soft and loving kiss to the pouting lips underneath her and the pilot let her body relax. Slim tanned fingers laced through her own slightly calloused ones and gently moved them until they were resting, still joined, on the pillow's above them. Quinn's brain was still trying to compute the shift from 'tearing clothes off passion' to 'sweet, loving caresses' so didn't realise what was going on until too late. The diva sat up with a triumphant grin and when Quinn went to reach for her realised her hands were securely bound together and then to the bed frame. Blinking in shocked admiration between her hands and Rachel she managed to sputter.

"How…when did you…what did you…what the _hell_?"

Sitting back on her heels, Rachel inadvertently made the pilot see stars when she decided to do a little impromptu victory dance, grinding down on the very persistent erection beneath her hips. Groaning faintly and chewing on her lower lip, Quinn huffed out a breath and tried to think about drains and trigonometry. Realising the effect her wriggling was having on the partly proud, partly sulking blonde Rachel grinned.

"You should know by now that Rachel Berry _always _gets her way…consider it revenge for ripping one of my favourite dresses."

Looking slightly chastised at that, Quinn shrugged and then swallowed on a suddenly dry throat as she took in the contemplative look on her girlfriends face.

"Um…what exactly are you going to _do _now you have me at your mercy?"

The brunette tilted her head to one side thoughtfully as she ran a hand down her chest to cup her own breast, forefinger and thumb pinching lightly at the already erect nipple. She smiled slyly as her other hand slid smoothly downwards towards the neatly trimmed curls that led the way to Quinn's favourite place. Unconsciously the blonde licked her lips and felt a little moan try to spill from the back of her throat, especially when the diva spoke in a low husky voice.

"Well, I _was _intending to wear you out but you wouldn't let me do that…so maybe I'll just let you watch while I take care of my own needs. I'll touch where you're aching to touch, taste what you're so fond of…maybe if you're lucky, after I come all over you I'll let you have a taste, would you like that?"

At that point, the pilot forgot that she ever had any pride and nodded eagerly before mustering a hoarse whisper.

"I don't mind the original plan, I didn't _intend _to break your rules…it's just that you're so goddamned gorgeous I couldn't help myself!"

Smiling gently, but no less mischievously, Rachel gently let her forefinger graze over her clit, shuddering pleasantly at the resulting jolt of arousal that shot through her. She wasn't sure if it was her, Quinn, or _both _of them that moaned, she knew without a doubt however, that the quiet gasp as she slid that same finger down and into herself was her own. Forcing her eyes open, she locked her gaze on the wide almost black one of the pilot who was struggling with her bonds futilely. Shaking her head ever so slightly, the brunette methodically slid her forefinger out before sliding it back in accompanied by her middle finger as well. Speaking brokenly, she managed to draw Quinn's attention briefly.

"If you behave…through…ah…oh god…this, then I'll…mmmmm, I'll reward you."

She ended the sentence on a gasp and yet again the pilot found herself nodding wordlessly, all too aware of the pre cum oozing out of and down the length of her quivering cock. Her feet were actually twitching impatiently and she was glad that Rachel was sitting on her legs, otherwise she was fairly certain she would have hooked them behind the diva's and pulled her closer with them, _anything _to relieve the pressure building up in her balls! Forcing herself to maintain eye contact with her girlfriend, Quinn felt her breath growing shorter along with Rachel's as the diva moved her fingers in and out faster, crying out slightly as her ring finger joined the other two in their rapid pumping. It was only a few short moments later (that felt like an eternity to the restrained pilot) when Rachel let out a cry of release. Quinn was embarrassed to realise that, as she felt the evidence of Rachel's climax splash onto her midriff, her own liquid joy made its appearance on the startled brunette's thighs.

"Oh Quinn…did you just? But I haven't even _touched _you yet!"

The diva sounded amazed at being able to elicit such a reaction in her girlfriend with just sight and sound alone. Glowing a bright red, the blonde finally managed to sputter out a few words that made a loose sentence.

"I…you…I'm _kinda _worked up here! This not being able to touch you thing made me a bit…well, let's just say I kinda wish I'd filmed that."

She gave a half stunned crooked grin at that; a grin which faded slightly as her hazel eyes widened, taking in the now, almost feral look on Rachel's face. Feral was perhaps the most apt word Quinn could have picked as the diva dropped to her hands and knees crawling over her slowly. She reminded the pilot of a tiger or lion, stalking it's prey, knowing it could play with it…take it's time before it pounced.

"Well, if _watching _me made you explode then what are you going to do when I actually touch you hmm?"

Unable to answer Quinn just shrugged, any kind of cocky (pardon the pun) comment that may have been in her mind had gotten lost in the static haze of lust Rachel was whipping up within her. Grinning widely, the diva lay herself gently on top of her girlfriend nipping and sucking at the flesh of her neck lightly, hands busy with the sharp nipples positioned just under her own. Quinn arched up with her hips to try and get a little pressure where she needed it but Rachel was agile and while her top half lay across the pilot's and lavished it with attention, she managed to adroitly avoid putting pressure where Quinn really wanted it.

When Rachel was satisfied with the breathless pleas and whimpers that were coming from the writhing blonde, she smiled softly and with one more sharp bite to the angle of her jaw, she sat up again. Taking the source of Quinn's frustration in one hand and stroking firmly, the pilot let out a shuddery breath of relief and twisted her head to one side to wipe the sweat from her brow. Once Rachel was happy with the natural lubrication she had expertly spread all around the cock in her hands she lifted up and in one swift move that produced two very loud and satisfied groans, finally sank down on to it.

"Oh _Christ _Rachel…I can't even…you're amazing…"

Starting to grind, the brunette just smiled breathlessly and reaching behind her plucked up Quinn's abandoned necktie, looping it around the pilots neck. It was on the tip of the blondes tongue to ask _why _she was now wearing a tie when Rachel tugged on it, using it as a way to brace herself as she proceeded to do what she had promised earlier and literally ride her. Digging her heels into the mattress underneath her, Quinn did her best to move her hips in tandem, forcing herself deeper, she was just beginning to feel the pull in her stomach that warned of an impending orgasm when there was a loud knock on the apartment door. Groaning the pilot blew sweat from her brow as best she could and growled out.

"Ignore it, for the love of _Barbra _ignore it!"

Smirking, Rachel's dark tousled head nodded to indicate that she had no inclination of stopping _quite _yet. The person on the other side of the door however was having none of this and the knocking turned to hammering, it was distracting enough that Rachel lost her rhythm. Quinn cursed under her breath and thrust upwards again to try and remind the diva of what was important. She froze however when the next round of hammering on the door was accompanied by a familiar and _very _pissed off voice.

"Fabray open this goddamned door right now! Or when I get in there I'll make you _eat _your balls after I rip them off!"

Wide hazel eyes looked with some confusion and not a little fear into Rachel's slightly guilty brown ones, neither of them were moving now but both were panting breathlessly.

"Why does Santana want to rip my balls off!"

Rachel hopped off the bed swiftly and grimacing as she slipped her robe on started explaining hastily.

"The other night I ended up staying at Brit and San's place and not Kurt's…while I was there they rang and I answered it and things just…I was upset and everything came spilling out! Because of work and your surprise tonight I hadn't gotten around to telling them we made up yet…?"

Scrambling hastily backwards with her feet, Quinn squeaked when Rachel made a move to answer the door.

"Wait, you need to at least untie me first!"

The little diva clapped a hand to her mouth and turned abruptly to do just that when there was a splintering sound from the front door, she winced (there goes the security deposit) and threw an apologetic look over her shoulder as she ran.

"I'll be back, I _promise _but if I don't answer the door they'll break the damn thing down!"

Hastily tying her dressing gown belt, the diva hurried to the door hollering as she ran.

"Do _not _break my door down Santana! I need that security deposit back!"

The hammering abruptly stopped but when she wrenched the door open, Rachel realised that it was only because the fiery Latina was winding up for another cop style shoulder barge. Red faced, Santana pushed into the apartment and Rachel wondered (not for the first time) if maybe she didn't take her job too seriously, because her stance was _so _like the cops on the shows that Quinn insisted on watching. Crossing her arms impatiently, Rachel tapped her feet and rocked slightly on her heels as Brit trailed in with a small apologetic smile.

"Where the hell is she! That idiotic cement-headed dick weed of a girlfriend of yours!"

Rachel opened her mouth to try and explain that everything was actually okay now and that she and Quinn were doing fine, it was just a moments stupidity on the pilot's part and a moments over reaction on hers. However, _that _plan went out of the window when Quinn's high pitched, slightly pissed off and indignant voice sounded from the bedroom.

"_Dick weed_?"

Santana's eyes narrowed in that way that indicated she had identified the perp and now only had to chase them down. Rachel was quick, but not as quick as the newly promoted detective and so she found herself grasping nothing but thin air as Santana literally leapt through the bedroom door and slammed it behind her. Letting out a cry of distress, the diva banged on the suddenly locked door, yelling loudly.

"Santana, do not break my girlfriend! Things are good now, we're okay so _please _don't do anything bad…Quinn are you okay?"

All was silent for a long moment and Rachel considered doing a little door breaking of her own, then the familiar and remarkably calm voice of her girlfriend floated through the door.

"I'm fine Rae, why don't you get some coffee on and we'll be out in a minute."

Frowning slightly in puzzlement, the diva wanted to ask more questions but Brittany's light tugging on the sleeve of her robe reminded her she wasn't alone, so she sighed and called out her agreement before allowing the blonde dancer to herd her into the kitchen. On the other side of the door, Quinn was just glad she had managed to get one hand free and pull the duvet up before her sparring partner had burst in. Santana was leaning on the closed door with her arms and legs crossed, glaring hotly, once she was sure that Rachel had moved away from the door, she grabbed up Quinn's clothes from the floor and threw them at her.

"Get those on and explain your sorry ass to me Fabray."

Scowling slightly and muttering, Quinn tried to ignore the smirk on the Latina's face as she finally released her other hand from what she now realised was the ripped remnants of Rachel's dress.

"I…just had a dumb moment, _you _do it all the time Lopez so don't act so high and mighty! It's okay now…we're okay, we're gonna be having a kid and…um, and I'm gonna be a dad…or a mom…or a, um something."

She frowned heavily all of a sudden.

"Oh _fuck_, I'm gonna be a parent…as in responsible for something, for like a life…shit."

She paused with her t-shirt half on and swallowed down an irrational lump of panic before staring over at Santana with wide eyes. The Latina's gaze actually softened slightly and coming over she helped Quinn pull the t-shirt down before speaking.

"And _that's _the reaction I needed to get out of you now rather than later, because later it's going to be Rachel having the emotional freak outs and _you're _going to need to be the rock. So although my timing is sort of off, believe me when I say you will thank me for this later."

Going back to glaring, the blonde performed some under the sheets gymnastics to slip her shorts back on and then punched the Latina in the shoulder lightly.

"_Not _funny San…you have no idea what you just interrupted. And I apologised okay, I did all the right things including…well, including not filling in my application to the air force."

At that Santana's eyebrows shot into her hairline with disbelief, for as long as she had known Quinn, the girl had been obsessed with her eventual goal of joining the USAF. It was one of the things they shared, a drive towards something, for Santana it had been the police force and so she understood just what it was Quinn was feeling at giving that up.

"Shit Q, are you sure you're okay with that…it's a big thing."

Blowing out a breath, the pilot glanced towards the door and sighed softly before continuing.

"Some women can hack being service wives but I don't think Rachel could, especially not with me wanting to be right in the thick of things. Besides…I know what it's like to have to move every few years and lose all your friends and it looks like Rach is going all the way to Broadway so the least I can do is stand by her."

Frowning slightly, Santana belatedly took in the rings under the pilot's eyes and the slight slump in her shoulders.

"Is there something _else _bothering you Q? You look kinda washed out, although I'm thinking finding out you fathered a child with that cannon of yours was quite a shock."

Rolling hazel eyes, Quinn nudged Santana with her shoulder.

"Don't call my…thing, a cannon."

Smirking slightly, Santana shrugged and leaning back on the palms of her hands took great delight in making Quinn squirm with her next words.

"Well according to Rachel it certainly packs the same wallop…is it _really _as good as she says?"

She bellowed her laughter out when she saw the blonde flush a bright red and try to cover herself self consciously, even though nothing was visible or 'alert' at that point.

"Oh god you shoulda seen your face Q! That was fucking priceless."

Crossing her arms and trying not to visibly sulk, the pilot got up and slid into her batman bathrobe tying the belt with pointed movements and waiting for the Latina to stop giggling inanely. Eventually when her merriment had run it's course, Santana sat back up and wiped at her eyes.

"I'm sorry, no more teasing I swear…I'm just glad you got your shit together and realised what you had because I swear if I had to I was going to suspend you from lady liberty by your balls until you did…so at least we get to avoid that huh?"

Wincing slightly at even the thought of it, Quinn nodded a wholehearted agreement, it flitted through her mind to confide in Santana about the other stuff that was going on, the _ghost _stuff. To most people the Latina was brash, emotionally stunted and uncaring but to those who knew her she was also one of the kindest, giving and warm-hearted persons that Quinn had ever met. Ghost's however were something else altogether, it was kind of like religion in a way, you either believed or you didn't and as there was no tangible proof either way it came down to a person's individual experience. Sighing internally, the blonde ran a hand through her ruffled hair and decided to leave it for now.

"I love her S, I'd do anything for her, absolutely anything…the pregnancy just took me by surprise and I blurted out the stupidest thing. I'm gonna be there for them though, Rachel and Junior…I mean the airfield always needs pilots and I can maybe get some part time work at a garage or something as well."

She trailed off with a shrug and Santana looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.

"I think the garage at the station needs people, experienced people that can be trusted…I could get you an interview if you want?"

Smiling slightly and secretly glad that she would have a legitimate reason to hang out around the police station, Quinn nodded eagerly.

"Yeah that would be great, thanks S, we should probably go out there before they think you really are trying to kill me. Oh and thanks for _not _killing me by the way, I appreciate it."

Quinn smirked and Santana was the one to roll her eyes this time before yanking the blonde closer to her with a grumble. Pulling her into a rough hug, she murmured something that the pilot took a moment to decipher as congratulations before grinning brightly.

"Thanks S, let's go and settle nerves, then you need to get out of here because we were sort of in the middle of something. And um…although you were trying to break in with the intention of castrating me…thanks for that too, because it's good to know you care that much about Rachel."

Sighing, Santana propped her hands on her hips.

"Not _just _Rachel you idiot! I'm as protective of you for some odd reason and if things were the other way round it would be her getting the lecture. We love you both and the only thing I'm going to be worrying about now is that Brit is going to get broody."

Quinn laughed softly and then led the way out of the bedroom and into the lounge area where Rachel and Brittany were sitting and anxiously glancing their way, both women rolled their eyes.

"I'm fine Rae, we both are, see? No punches thrown and no bruises or cuts."

Relaxing visibly once they had confirmed that indeed neither of their girlfriends were damaged in ay way shape or form, Rachel poured another coffee for Santana and then passed a tea over to Quinn with a wink. Looking without trying to look like she was looking the pilot glanced at the brunette's mug, relieved to see it contained tea as well. The conversation was relaxed if slightly hurried, Santana and Brittany were obviously tired after their rushed journey back from Vegas and Rachel and Quinn were just as eager to finish what had been interrupted. Santana was tempted to suggest they make a night of it just to fuck with them but a combination of her own weariness and Brit's warning glance made her relent.

"Come on Brit-Brit, we need to make a move, I'm exhausted and we only have a couple more days before I'm back at work."

The choreographer smiled happily and as the foursome reached the door she pulled the little diva into a dizzying hug.

"Take care of your baby Rach, and it would be really cool if it came out with your eyes and voice and Quinn's mouth and butt."

Rachel didn't have the heart to tell Brittany she couldn't guarantee anything like that and instead smiled happily and nodded as she allowed the taller blonde to pat her stomach, which was still as flat as a pancake at that point. It was worth it when she looked up and saw the dopey look on Quinn's face, a look the pilot tried and failed to smother before anyone else saw it. Santana rolled her eyes and just lightly slugged her sparring partner's shoulder in their usual gruff method of greeting or farewell (no one had to know they had already had their soppy moment) but Brittany hugged her fully and then pulling away frowned seriously.

"You need to look after Rachel and the baby now Quinn, so when you go back to your sexy times after we leave, you be _careful_!"

Rachel and Santana rolled their eyes at that and the detective moved her girlfriend to the door gently, they murmured their goodbyes and Santana hugged her old cheer captain tightly for a brief moment before the door shut on them. None of them noticed Quinn looking contemplative…and then worried. Rachel leaned on the closed door for a long moment letting loose a breath of pure relief that things had gone well. Then she noticed Quinn, eyes fixed in the middle distance, head tilted slightly and a small frown on her face. She'd managed somehow to put her shorts on the wrong way round and the diva smiled fondly before walking forward. Clicking her fingers in front of the distracted hazel eyes, they finally focused on her and the pilot smiled…for all of three seconds before Rachel pounced on her, the two of them slammed into the wall, the little diva latched onto her girlfriend. Which is when she noticed that Quinn wasn't reciprocating as enthusiastically as she had expected, she pulled back enough to peer at her in concern.

"Quinn…what's wrong, do you…do you not _want _to anymore?"

The fragility in her own voice scared her, she hadn't realised how much she needed this connection between the two of them on an emotional level. Quinn hastily nodded her head and arching an eyebrow looked pointedly at the tent in her boxers, but when Rachel moved to kiss her again she dodged.

"I _want _to it's just…I mean, we aren't going to hurt it right, junior I mean?"

Rachel stared at her for a moment and had to bite the inside of her cheek hard to prevent the laughter. Taking in a deep breath through her nose, the diva composed the reply in her head before speaking.

"Sweetheart…how on earth could we hurt it?"

Shuffling slightly on her feet, Quinn reached up and rubbed the back of her neck before muttering a reply so soft that Rachel had to lean closer to hear it.

"What if, ya know…my co pilot pokes it or something?"

Rachel was surprised she didn't taste blood in reaction to how hard she had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Placing a gentle hand on the blonde's cheek, she exerted just enough pressure to force eye contact and explained patiently.

"Quinn, baby, at this point the baby is no bigger than a peanut, there's no way you are going to poke it. Women can have sex right up to the moment of birth, in fact if the baby is late, it's the number one method of inducing delivery."

Quinn pulled a face at that and Rachel did giggle, she couldn't help herself.

"Okay, well…maybe not poke it but I was reading that some of our memories are created in the womb so, so perhaps if we have sex then junior might end up scared of rain…or of tadpoles or something."

At that point, Rachel experienced something new when in a conversation with Quinn…she felt completely lost and wondered if somehow Brittany had infected her girlfriend with naivety. Feeling her brow crease in puzzlement, she looked back at the pilot wondering where on earth to start with the many questions she had. Luckily for both of them, Quinn hurried to explain.

"I mean ya know from me uh…releasing inside of you, if it like got on the baby or something. It could maybe associate my stuff landing on it with like how rain falls on you…or, or…ya know how it feels kind of slimy like when you catch tadpoles as a kid? Oh my god what if junior won't even catch tadpoles because they're so terrified of the feel of them! I could damage our baby before it even comes out and ruin an essential part of it's childhood…"

The uncharacteristic ramble was cut off abruptly when Rachel covered her mouth with her hand. The blonde subsided, waiting patiently for her girlfriend to speak, which Rachel would get around to when she worked out how to word this without either raising her voice or collapsing in giggles. Inhaling a deep breath and holding it for a moment, she finally took her hand away from Quinn's mouth.

"Quinn sweetheart I love you with all my heart but first thing tomorrow we are buying you a pregnancy book so you can fill your head with facts. Trust me when I say that sex during pregnancy will not affect the baby _at all_."

The blonde opened her mouth to protest that she had been on the internet to research (something she needn't have bothered with as Rachel was all too aware that the pilot insisted on getting her information from Google and Wikipedia). Rachel however didn't give her chance to start spouting off the undoubtedly dubious knowledge she had picked up.

"I mean a proper source of information…not the internet. Plus let me explain something to you about pregnant women, something that will stand you in good stead for the next nine months…okay?"

Unsure if she was allowed to talk, Quinn just nodded and offered an encouraging smile.

"Hormones, _my _hormones to be precise, are going to be going haywire, to the extent that I may become even more of a diva than I currently am. Part of that includes becoming incredibly horny, and when that happens Quinn, I'm not going to want to have to take the time to explain how perfectly safe sex is. So what you need to do is buy a book, read the facts and get ready for when I tell you I want sex, because it _won't _be a request."

Hazel eyes widened and after a moment where it was clear that Rachel expected a verbal response, Quinn cleared her throat.

"So, I should shut up take you into the bedroom and finish what we started earlier?"

Smiling slightly at the very precise language, the brunette's lips quirked, she loved how shy Quinn was when it came to sex, especially because it meant when she did use crude language, it gave Rachel a guilty little thrill.

"Well you could…but do you know what I would prefer?"

Chewing on her lower lip for a moment, Quinn knew exactly what her girlfriend was hinting at and despite her time in Juvie surrounded by every curse word imaginable to man, she still had to bolster herself before using any of them in the bedroom (well, hall in this case but you get the idea). Trying not to blush when she spoke, Quinn let her hands slide down to cup Rachel's butt and murmured.

"You want me to fuck you into un consciousness and you don't much care if it's here or in the bedroom so long as I get on with it."

Rachel's grin grew almost shark-like, though it was ruined by the tinkling laughter that accompanied it. She surged forward and bit down on Quinn's lower lip that was jutting out slightly.

"Hell yes!"

Hoisting Rachel up until the diva's long legs wrapped around her waist, locking together at the small of her back, Quinn grinned and half walked, half ran them into the bedroom.

"My little romantic."

Those were the last words (outside of grunt's, moans, entreaties for more or cries to various deities) that either of them spoke for several hours.

It was a little over a week later with no major interruptions, either supernatural _or _regular, when they found themselves in the doctor's office waiting for the first ultrasound. Rachel was slightly nervous but that was eclipsed by her eagerness to get a first glimpse of the life the two of them had created. Quinn was trying her best not to hyperventilate and was wiping her hands on the legs of her jeans every few seconds whilst wondering distractedly how one person could sweat so much in an air conditioned office. They had decided after a long post-coital talk that they would hold off on telling both set's of parents until they had the first scan, that way they would have more to tell them and would be able to answer questions without feeling like ill-informed teenagers.

At the diva's urging they had indeed gone to the bookstore and Quinn had proceeded to spend a small fortune on books about pregnancy and childbirth, and a small book of names of course. Since then she had randomly started calling out names during the course of their day, most of which received an immediate veto but a few had made it through the cracks. After talking with the airfield, Quinn had secured some regular weekend work taking the skydivers up and had given Santana an up-to-date CV and completed application form for the job in the police garage. Gaby had been conspicuous by her absence and despite the weird events surrounding the reappearance of her best friend, she found she was missing her. Every so often she thought she caught a glimpse of the ghost but it would be something or someone else. It seemed that Gaby was staying true to her word and giving Quinn time to get things sorted out with Rachel. She looked up abruptly standing when the door opened and the Dr entered, then realised she had no idea why she had stood so sat back down, she flushed in embarrassment when Rachel took her hand to calm her down instead of it being the other way around. The Dr however laughed softly at the move and when they glanced at him, he shook his head slightly.

"Sorry didn't mean to startle you, but you really shouldn't worry Miss Fabray it's often the way at these things, the expectant mother finds it much easier to relax than the partner. I'm Dr. Wesley and I'll be looking after you both during your pregnancy Rachel"

Rachel immediately liked him, from his carrot- coloured hair and green eyes sparkling with amusement, to the neatly pressed suit and white coat topped with a Bugs Bunny tie and warm smile. She found herself grinning back at him; even Quinn offered a smaller version of her crooked grin. Sitting himself down, he clapped his hands together and wheeling the chair over to sit beside Rachel, he flipped through her records.

"Okay, so from all indications you're about eight weeks along and this will be the first of your regular check ups just to make sure everything is going to plan and that baby is healthy and happy. Has there been anything that caused you concern so far, any questions you might have?"

Rachel shook her head with a small smile and squeezed Quinn's hand reassuringly; Dr Wesley looked up at the wide eyed blonde and tried not to smirk. Usually when it was a same sex couple there was a lot of planning involved so by this time both couples had gotten over the shock of it, even so he had seen his fair share of shell-shocked partners and this blonde definitely fell under that category. When she spotted him watching her, she offered a weak smile and he winked slightly before turning back to Rachel when she answered.

"No, I think we're good Dr. Wesley, just eager to make sure everything is okay with peanut."

Wesley's russet eyebrows rose in amusement and moved to Quinn who shuffled her feet slightly when Rachel glanced at her pointedly to explain. She rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged.

"Just a nickname that stuck, cos ya know of the size of the baby right now because we don't know if it's a he or a she and…it was weird calling a baby 'it', ya know?"

The Dr. grinned and nodded his head approvingly.

"Peanut it is! Okay then let's see how little peanut is, be prepared Rachel the gel is kind of cold at first though you do get used to it, and it makes a perfect substitute for hair gel if you run out."

Rachel laughed and clasped Quinn's hand tightly as he started to lift the gown up to rub the gel over it before reaching for the wand. The pilot by this point was humming with nervous energy but trying her best to quell it so she could be there if Rachel needed her. Dr. Wesley started to move the wand over Rachel's belly and peered intently at the screen, the brunette tilted her head and grinned as she made out the shape that was indeed very peanut like…only.

"Um…Dr .Wesley, it looks sort of, um well odd is that normal."

He looked back at them and couldn't quite contain his grin at the news he was about to share, it would be his first pregnancy of this kind.

"Well it's not that it looks _odd_, it's just that the foetus isn't alone."

Rachel's eyes widened but it was Quinn who gasped.

"Oh my _God_, is there like an alien in there or something?"

Dr. Wesley and Rachel looked at her with matching expressions, something between shock and incredulity. The little diva made a note to also try and limit Quinn's time on the Sci-Fi and Discovery channels. Clearing his throat, Dr. Wesley recovered first and when he had Rachel's attention again spoke softly.

"No, _not _an alien…you appear to be carrying triplets Rachel."

Brown eyes widened at that and she looked at the screen with fierce concentration, oh my…triplets? Beside her, Quinn had gone as white as a sheet and glanced from the grinning Dr to her shocked but exuberant girlfriend then bizarrely to her crotch as she quoted Laurel and Hardy in her head_. 'This is another fine mess you got me into!' _Dr. Wesley was still talking but Quinn couldn't hear him through the static in her ears…and was it her or was it really hot in here all of a sudden, and why was the floor rising? Oh shit the floor wasn't rising _she _was falling!

Rachel and the Doc were unaware that Quinn was in distress and had assumed that she was quiet because she was processing the news, the same as Rachel. It was only when the little diva felt the pilot's hand slip from hers followed by a thudding crash that she realised. Dr .Wesley abruptly stood and rushed to the unconscious pilot's side while Rachel looked on in shock, apart from a trickle of blood where her nose had impacted the floor, Quinn looked fine and was breathing normally. As Wesley called out for his nurse to come in from the reception area, he straightened Quinn out and glanced up at Rachel with a reassuring smile.

She's fine…just a little shocked but nothing's broken. I _was _going to ask if anyone in either parents' family had a history of multiple pregnancy births but from her reaction I'm guessing this has come totally out of the blue?"

Unable to move from her position on the examination bed, Rachel just nodded a dazed confirmation, looking from the stunned brunette to the unconscious blonde, Dr. Wesley accurately concluded that this was _definitely _going to be one of his more interesting pregnancies!


	4. Chapter 4

Rachel was beginning to worry, well actually that wasn't _quite _right, she'd started worrying when Quinn had hit her head in the doctor's office. Now she was rapidly growing more and _more _worried as the minutes passed by with no input from the wide-eyed blonde. The rest of the appointment had gone smoothly so far as the pregnancy was concerned, the Doc had given her plenty of information to read up on concerning multiple birth pregnancies. After a brief check-up it was determined that Quinn was definitely fine (although she had said little else for the rest of their allotted time) and they were sent on their way with an appointment card for follow up scans. Throughout the whole thing, the pilot had nodded or shaken her head in all the appropriate places and occasionally grunted but otherwise kept her peace. Rachel had insisted on driving, as she was concerned about Quinn's bump to the head despite the Doc's reassurance, sighing heavily she glanced sideways.

"Quinn…sweetheart, could you please say something, right now anything would do!"

Blinking several times as if waking from a deep sleep, Quinn glanced over to Rachel and then abruptly away again as guilt flooded her. She knew she should have been paying more attention after she woke up but…

"Triplets…we're having triplets?"

She was surprised to note that her voice had apparently decided to rise several octaves, at the little diva's half shocked, half worried look she cleared her throat and tried again.

"I…sorry it's just, I'm sort of…I mean _triplets_!"

Rachel rolled her eyes and tried not to let the exasperation she was feeling seep into her tone.

"No matter how many times you say it, the number won't decrease you know, yes Quinn Fabray we are having triplets, why is that so hard to believe!"

Hazel eyes wide grew wide again and running her hands through her hair in agitation, Quinn gestured to the diva's belly.

"Because…well, because it's just weird! There is no history of it in my family or yours and then BAM, triplets!"

Trying to keep her patience, Rachel flexed her hands on the steering wheel and ran through her relaxation techniques from yoga class.

"I really think you need to get a hold of yourself before we get to your mother's house Quinn, and in case you had forgotten there are two of us involved in this pregnancy, it would be nice of you if you could get over the shock so we can start planning."

Although her tone remained calm, her words were sharp and precise and cut worse because of it. Wincing in recognition of the fact that her support had been less than sterling, the pilot reached up and rubbed her jaw before sighing.

"I'm sorry Rae, you're right baby, I'm being an ass…again, geez I kinda suck at being the supportive husband huh?"

She smiled weakly, it grew however when Rachel turned to smile at her, a proper smile not the strained one of several moments ago.

"Who says you're the husband Fabray?"

Trying not to grin, the pilot just shrugged a shoulder.

"Well the fact I got the co pilot and you're carrying the babies is a pretty good sign, that and you're more feminine than me…I guess."

Rachel arched an eyebrow in imitation of her girlfriend and snorted a laugh as she turned her eyes back to the road.

"Just because you have a cock does _not _make you less feminine…especially with your curves. Nor does the ability to spill food down yourself every single time you eat make you less feminine, it just makes you a klutz."

Slapping a hand to her chest, Quinn grimaced.

"Ouch, hit me where it hurts Rae…and the food _jumps _by the way, it's not me dropping it, it just has this uncanny ability of avoiding my mouth."

Trying hard not to smirk, Rachel bit her lip and chewed on it for a long moment before murmuring.

"Thank god I don't have the same problem with your co pilot."

Quinn turned a wonderful shade of crimson as Rachel started laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh…that is _so _not funny! I can't believe you're being so crude…is that any way to talk in front of our children?"

Rachel couldn't stop laughing and had to wipe her eyes clear of tears with the back of one hand as the pilot spluttered her way through that sentence, the next thing she did however, caused the diva's laughter to transform into a fond smile. Leaning down, Quinn spoke to roughly where the diva's belly button was.

"Don't listen to her little guys, or girls…hmm, okay for now you're just the peanuts gang, but yeah, don't listen to your mama when she uses bad words."

Unable to help herself (especially now the shock had worn off), Quinn leant forwards a little bit more and placed three kisses on the diva's belly before sitting back up. After a moments awkward silence, she glanced at Rachel who was smiling gently and rolled her eyes.

"Oh…hush you! We're having a baby and we're meant to be hormonal, well _babies _actually…oh crap does that mean you're gonna get like triple cravings and triple horniness, because the combination of being used for sex and fetching ice cream and artichokes or whatever at three in the morning may just kill me!"

The diva grinned evilly at that and Quinn swallowed nervously before sinking in her seat and murmuring a prayer. Internally, Rachel was still giggling to herself and wondering how far she could push Quinn under the guise of hormones. As they pulled up to the house, Judy was busy unpacking groceries from the back of the car and shaking her head slightly, Quinn leapt out of the jeep and headed to help her.

"Mom, you knew we were on the way, you could have just waited you know!"

Pulling the bags from her mom, she loaded them into her own arms and shot a glare at the diva when she reached forward to pick one up.

"And you should know better in your condition…I'll do this, you go on in with mom and I'll see to the groceries."

Judy had her mouth open to protest when Rachel just shook her head and linked arms with the older woman, smiling wryly.

"Trust me, it will just be easier to go make the drinks and talk to her when she's finished being all macho."

Smiling bemusedly, Judy allowed Rachel to steer her inside, taking the high road, Quinn just blew a raspberry as she passed them both, arms full of groceries. Fifteen minutes later, the groceries were put away and the three women were sat around the table, Judy with a coffee, Rachel with herbal tea and Quinn was on her third soda despite Rachel's disapproving look. Judy even glared slightly when her daughter belched loudly, lowering her eyes, Quinn flushed guiltily and decided to slow down, rolling her eyes, the elder Fabray spoke.

"Well what was it you wanted to talk about then girls?"

Rachel tucked some hair behind her ear nervously and looked to Quinn who took a deep breath in and suddenly felt less than ready for this conversation…especially the part that Rachel wasn't expecting either. Rubbing the back of her neck, the pilot fidgeted for a long moment then cleared her throat.

"Okay…here's the thing…the thing _is_…well, it's like this…um…mom, Rach and I we're, sort of expecting a lot of babies, and also…I'm talking to dead people."

Two set's of eyes widened and locked onto her at the same time, rubbing the back of her neck so hard she was surprised smoke wasn't rising, Quinn sighed wishing she could have found a slightly…clearer way of explaining. Judy was the first to regain her voice, she even fiddled with the new hearing aid she had in case it was acting up before asking for clarification.

"Quinn honey…I probably misheard you but did you say a _lot _of babies?"

Before she could answer, Rachel interrupted.

"Three isn't a lot of babies it's just more than normal…and what did you mean you're talking to dead people?"

Slumping down in her chair, the pilot double face palmed with a slight groan and after dragging her hands roughly down her face looked between the two of them.

"Okay, mom Rachel and I are having triplets, because I got a little careless with my co pilot, well we both did to be accurate but anyway, yeah we're having babies."

Looking between her daughter and the little diva, Judy saw the truth of that statement and confusion gave way to tentative joy as she pulled Rachel into a hug.

"Wow, I don't know if this is appropriate or not but, congratulations?"

Rachel smiled shyly and laughed as one hand slid down to the barely there bump of her stomach.

"Thank you Judy…I have to say it wasn't planned but I'm really happy, worried about having to give birth three times admittedly but…definitely happy."

Kissing the brunette on the forehead, Judy turned to her daughter and had to fight a chuckle as she took in the dazed expression she remembered only too well. In that moment, Quinn was the spitting image of her father as he had been when she had informed him that she was pregnant with Quinn. Reaching out, she took the blonde's hand and squeezed it, instantly knowing what was on her daughter's mind.

"You'll do fine kiddo, these babies are going to be spoilt rotten between Hiram, Leroy, Steven, myself and you two…not to mention Santana, Brittany and the rest!"

Quinn's tentative smile grew into a grin, ducking her head slightly; she rubbed the back of her neck again.

"If I'd known I was that fertile I would have been wearing three condoms instead of just one…not that I was but still!"

She trailed off as her mother assumed the ever popular 'I told you so' expression, sighing internally, Quinn decided to head off the lecture before it could start.

"And before you even _think _about lecturing me, we need to talk about a certain legacy that you neglected to inform me of."

At that, Rachel's ears also pricked up and she glanced sharply between mother and daughter, she was half expecting Judy to tell Quinn she was being silly and that the pressure of the pregnancy was getting to her. She was therefore shocked when the elder woman just nodded with a small smile and flicked her gaze to the diva before asking.

"Does Rachel know anything about this yet?"

Quinn shook her head as she sank lower in her seat again, letting her chin rest on the collar of her polo shirt tiredly.

"No, I wanted to talk about it with you _and _Rachel so she would know I wasn't nuts! I mean no offence mom but I'm still not exactly one hundred percent certain that I'm not just going round the bend!"

Nodding sagely, Judy picked her mug up with one hand and then turned to the two girls with a resigned and slightly sad smile.

"Okay, we should go up to the attic, there are some things you need to see that will help you understand."

She started walking that way, knowing they would follow her. Reaching out, Quinn took Rachel's hand in hers and squeezed reassuringly as they started to walk after Judy.

"Quinn…are you really talking to dead people?"

Rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand and squinting in thought, the pilot nodded and spoke quietly.

"Remember the morning at the diner? When it looked like I was talking to thin air in the booth?"

Waiting for the diva's puzzled nod, Quinn smiled encouragingly and carried on with her explanation.

"Well it wasn't thin air…that morning Gaby appeared in my bathroom when I was taking a leak and, well once she convinced me she was really there and that I wasn't going insane I passed out…hence the bump on the head when I arrived for breakfast."

Reaching up, she tapped at the now healed cut that was nothing but a thin pink line now that new skin had started to grow over it. Nodding slightly, the diva still looked sceptical and to be honest Quinn couldn't blame her, hell even she was still sceptical!

"So in the diner you were talking to Gaby…your um, dead best friend?"

Squinting in thought again, the pilot nodded as she lightly swung their joined hands.

"Yeah I know, when you say it out loud like that it sounds kinda hinky, like maybe I am really losing it which I guess wouldn't be such a stupid idea given the attack, delayed shock maybe? But…the thing is, it's pretty damn convincing, even to me and if I can do what she says I can then, then I can do something worthwhile you know? Help people that no one else can and that has to be a good thing doesn't it?"

Pausing at the foot of the stairs, Rachel lay a gentle hand on the side of Quinn's face and manoeuvred it until they were looking at each other.

"When you put it like that it actually makes perfect sense, there has always been something a bit special about you Quinn and I don't just mean your co pilot. If anyone was going to be given the ability to help people finally rest in peace it's you."

Half smiling, the blonde turned so she could kiss the palm that had been cupping her face.

"You, Rachel Berry are one _hell _of a woman…especially if you can wrap your head around this without freaking out and having me committed!"

Snorting inelegantly with wry amusement, Rachel merely gestured to the top of the stairs where they could see Judy pulling down the attic ladder.

"If your mom had reacted with worry or shock or anything even remotely like that then maybe right now we would be trying to check you into a rubber room. But she didn't, she just looked oddly resigned which leads me to believe that as unlikely as it seems you're telling the truth."

Smiling happily, Quinn just squeezed the hand in hers briefly and led the way up the stairs towards the attic ladder. She had always wondered what was in the attic as she was never usually allowed to go up there and when she was it was usually a rush job with no time to search. At first it just seemed the same as usual, piles of cardboard boxes labelled with either her, Judy or her dad's name on them, neatly stacked. Old Christmas, Halloween and 4th of July decorations lined up neatly along the walls and then…there was something else, something she had never noticed before. At the back of the attic was a wall hanging, some flag her dad said he and his buddies had made in grade school and he ended up with it, but Judy had pushed that aside and behind it was a door, Quinn watched with wide eyes as her mom produced a key from the bunch she had in her jeans pocket. Unlocking the door, she turned to the two girls and gestured with a nod of her head for them to follow her. Quinn was so eager she literally tripped over her own feet, only saved from an embarrassing fall (for the second time that day, thank you very much!) by Rachel's quick reflexes. Murmuring an awkward apology, the blonde dusted herself off and hurried into the room…only to stop so abruptly that Rachel literally ploughed into her back.

Unlike the rest of the attic no dust appeared to mar this room, the walls were lined with pictures of women that were obviously her descendants, she recognised some but not many. Rachel gasped as she picked up one of a young woman who looked just like Quinn, only with two six guns and a Stetson. There was a table against one wall and the other two held bookshelves full to bursting with leather backed journals. Quinn watched as her mom walked to the desk and opening the draw pulled out an identical journal, this one brand new. With a solemn smile she passed it to her daughter, the blonde nodded and didn't ask why she was given it, she already knew, she wasn't sure how but she knew it was for her to write down her own cases in. running a hand through her hair, Judy took a seat at the desk and gestured to two armchairs that were arranged in front of one of the sets of bookshelves.

"Well, as you can see, you certainly aren't insane Quinn…this is your legacy, I never needed to take up the mantle, nor did my mother or grandmother. But now we…or should I say _you _are needed."

Quinn opened her mouth to ask a question, well, to ask _the _question but Rachel beat her to it.

"So what is it that Quinn is expected to do, I mean speaking to the dead is one thing but what does this legacy do exactly?"

Judy glanced at her daughter who smiled crookedly and just waved a hand in the diva's general direction.

"What she said."

Chuckling slightly, Judy relaxed into the chair and crossing her legs mulled over the best way to explain years of duty and responsibility in a short conversation.

"Okay, well some of this Quinn will already have heard so I apologise if it gets boring for you sweetheart but Rachel is going to need to understand all of this as she is going to need to be your rock in a very literal sense sometimes."

The pilot frowned and debated interrupting to ask why but decided to wait until she had at least given her mom a chance to explain it.

"The Fabray's have always had a talent to be able to see across the divide that separates the living from the dead. It's often times been more of a curse than a blessing, especially during the witch hunts but we have always done our duty when called. Despite the claims of many religious factions that the world is falling into disrepute and that we are headed for the end of days, I can assure you we are not…as long as the bloodline continues that is!"

Brown eyes opened wide and Rachel swivelled to face Quinn, the blonde was just as shocked at this news and managed to utter a garbled noise and shake her head to reassure Rachel that no, she wasn't aware of how important this role actually was. Clearing her throat, Quinn tried to formulate the emotions and impulses she had running around in her head into some kind of question.

"Mom just…hold up a second, when Gaby explained this, she just sort of said it was my job to help people pass from the Tween world cos it was getting crowded?"

Tilting her head to the side for a moment in a gesture very reminiscent of her daughter, Judy pursed her lips and then nodded.

"Essentially that is correct, but what you do is…a little more complicated than that. There is a balance that has to be kept between the light and the dark, good and evil and you're the one that has to see that it's kept. The Tween fills up because people do not want to go on to whatever's next, whether it's up or down, heaven or hell or…something else altogether. That isn't your choice, what you do is help them overcome whatever thing is keeping them tied to the Tween, whether they want you to or not."

Shifting forward in her seat, Quinn linked her hands together loosely and let them hang between her knees as she frowned.

"The bit about whether they want me to or not…what exactly do you mean by that? I mean don't most of them want to pass on?"

Judy fidgeted slightly and glanced at the books around her, if she had thought seriously that Quinn would be chosen to assume the mantle then she would have introduced her to these books a long time ago. As it was she would keep her explanation as simple as she could and encourage her to spend time in this library learning more.

"Well yes, most of them want to have their murder solved or their long lost child found or whatever it is so they can pass on properly. But there are of course the others, the ones who know that what they will be passing on to is…unpalatable, those ones do not want to pass on but if the balance is not kept then chaos will find a way in."

Swallowing slightly, the pilot ran her hands through her hair and started to pace.

"So…not only do I have to solve murders and missing persons cases and all that jazz, I now have to work with spirits that won't want me to help them pass on and will most likely do their best to stop me, is that about the gist of it?"

Judy sighed but nodded before smiling slightly.

"Quinn if I thought you would have to do this I would have explained this much earlier, these books will help you learn what to expect. All I can do is give you these and be here for you when you need me baby, the spirits you help all need to pass on whether they are good or bad, you are just their guide and have no input in their fate."

Sitting back down with a thump, Quinn closed her eyes and blew out an exasperated breath.

"I'll do what I'm destined to do mom, it's not like I can run from it the spirits can pop up anywhere and Gaby sure does. And I'm all for balance in the world you know that but…I'm worried about Rachel, I mean we're trying to start a family here in the midst of all this."

She turned to the diva, eyes full of apology.

"Rae sweetheart…can we _do _this? I mean triplets are going to be exhausting and it isn't like this spirit shit is going to pay so I'll still have to work normal jobs on top of it! Which means I'll never know if I'm going to make scans or check up's or…"

Leaning forward, Rachel reached out and laid a hand on Quinn's lips to stop the babbling, which was growing in both pitch and volume.

"Hey…like you said this isn't a job, it's a destiny, and quite an important one from what I can make out, so we'll handle it. This wouldn't have happened to us if we _couldn't _handle it Froot Loop, so trust me and more importantly trust yourself."

Smiling bemusedly, Quinn shook her head lightly.

"Gaby said you would take it better than I thought, I guess I half expected you to, I don't know, leave me and have me committed somewhere."

Shoving lightly at the pilot's shoulders, Rachel chuckled.

"Oh no! You aren't getting out of this pregnancy that easy Fabray, _you _put these babies in here and you will do your share of middle of the night feeds, diaper duty, and vomit cleaning."

Quinn looked to her mother pleadingly, Judy immediately held both hands up in a sign of surrender and grinned.

"Don't look at me kiddo, she has a point, you did the crime you do the time…so to speak."

Glad the topic of conversation had moved from her destiny and onto the somewhat lighter conversation surrounding the babies, Quinn just groaned dramatically and fell back in her seat.

"Well if it helps I didn't put them in there on _purpose_?"

Two very stony expressions were her only answer and swallowing slightly, she calculated her chances of getting past both of them and down the stairs on one move. She calculated incorrectly and mid flight to the door ended up flat on her belly trying to curl around her ticklish side as Rachel fully utilised the fact that she knew Quinn wouldn't fight back because of the babies. Between laughter and cries for mercy, the pilot managed to sputter out a sentence.

"I'm…sorry! I'll do my…share of the feeds…oh please stop tickling me I need to pee Rach!"

Leaping off of the blonde abruptly, Rachel grinned happily as she allowed her girlfriend to skitter off towards the bathroom. Judy looked at her and smiling put an arm round her shoulders, gently stopping her for a moment before she could go after Quinn. Looking up quizzically, the elder Fabray let out a small breath and then spoke quietly but carefully.

"She's going to need you and the babies to bring her back sometimes, from the edge, the place it's dark. What she has to take on would weigh on anyone even someone as light hearted as Quinn but you two are meant to be together, you can read each other even over a phone line. And as for the pregnancy, I think you know you will have more help than you will know what to do with!"

Smiling back gratefully, Rachel hugged Judy, as supportive and loving as her fathers were she found that sometimes it was Judy she needed advice from, and in the case of a pregnancy she would definitely prove more knowledgeable than her dads.

"I'm going to hold you to that Judy, something tells me as lovable as Quinn is she is going to be a nightmare when it comes to handling me when pregnant…I'm not even sure what to expect myself yet, thank god for the reference section of the bookshop."

Keeping her arm round the little diva's shoulders, Judy led the way back downstairs where they could hear rummaging in the kitchen cupboards. Obviously, Quinn was finished in the bathroom and was now raiding her mom's snack supplies.

"Don't worry we'll work it out together sweetie…so long as we keep Quinn away from shiny distracting things."

They were still laughing when they walked into the kitchen, the pilot frowned but decided it was better to see them laughing together than not and went back to working on the turkey leg she'd found in the refrigerator.

Another week or so went by _fairly _peacefully, Rachel was now entering the last week of her show and becoming despondent about what if anything she would be doing in the near future. Quinn had gone for her interview with and subsequently gotten the job at the police station's garage where she had rapidly become indispensable. Especially when the uniformed officers worked out that she knew how to handle Detective Lopez's moods! At home, Rachel and Quinn had been thinking hard about what would have to change to accommodate three babies and first and foremost was a change of address because a one bedroom flat would have been difficult with one baby, with three it became impossible. Quinn had checked her savings and with both her income and what was left from the money her father left her, she worked out they could just stretch to a three bed house…but it would have to be at the lower end of the market.

So their evenings were spent poring over either the property papers or the literature they had collected on multiple pregnancy births. Quinn wasn't sure which one made her wince more, the prices of houses in safe neighbourhoods or the knowledge of what child birth actually entailed. She learnt quickly however that pointing out all the potential problems and painful problems wasn't actually helpful in calming Rachel down. Well, actually she hadn't learnt _that _quickly, it had taken the diva bursting into tears and storming off (and a quick phone call to Brittany) to work out it was wiser to keep her worries to herself. She was beyond glad that she had people like Santana and Steven watching her back for her, the Latina's recommendation had gone a long way towards getting her the job in the garage and Steven had gotten her a permanent flying job on Saturday's taking up the skydivers with the occasional option to work on show days for the display team as well.

Which is why despite it being nearly eleven o' clock on a Tuesday evening, Quinn was still elbow deep in the engine of a Ford Taurus wondering how it was possible to completely strip a gear box while on a routine pursuit. So far most of the work she had was run of the mill maintenance, with the occasional dent needing to be popped out sanded over and filled. But this was Santana's car, and it was the third time the pilot had, had to work on it in a single week. Firstly, the fiery Latina had managed to get two tyres shot out plus the windscreen shattered, then it was the engine overheating. But this, this was a whole new ball game and the blonde scowled heavily as she set about removing the gearbox, accompanied by language that would have curled Rachel's toes if she had been within hearing distance of it. Realising that she had the place pretty much to herself, Quinn wiped her hands on the 'used to be beige' coveralls and leapt out of the pit. It was time to get her groove on without the risk of anyone walking in, at least not without her hearing the large roller door rattling upwards anyway.

Wiping her forehead on her sleeve, the blonde unzipped the top half of the coveralls and used the sleeves to secure it around her waist. Smirking slightly at the white vest she was wearing with the cartoon T Rex on its's nose and the legend 'T Rex hates push ups', it had cracked her up in the shop so Rachel had insisted on buying it for her and she wore it as often as possible. It still made her smirk even now, just like whenever she heard someone say the word wiener, guaranteed to make her giggle _every _time. Re-securing the bandana round her head, she cycled through the albums on her i Pod deciding on something up-beat, she pressed play and headed back into the pit. She didn't have to be back home till tomorrow really, Rachel was on a late show then spending the night with Kurt and Blaine. Quinn had been invited but with three kids on the way she decided the over time was more useful. Grinning to herself, the blonde picked up her spanner and started back to work singing along cheerily to the lyrics of Erasure's _'Stop' _and throwing in the odd twirl or shuffle step when she needed to exchange tools. On one particularly energetic beat, she twirled and tossed the spanner into the air, intending to catch it with her other hand before setting it back into the toolbox, that however was before Gaby made one of her impromptu appearances. Instead of smoothly catching the ratchet, Quinn yelped and leapt about six foot in the air before swearing when the heavy tool came back down and landed on her foot with a crunch.

"Fuck a fucking _duck _Gaby, what did I say about letting me know before you pop in like this…shit my foot hurts!"

Limping and scowling, the blonde pilot moved to the edge of the pit and pulled herself out while her mostly amused and only slightly apologetic- looking best friend looked on. Once out of the pit, Quinn silenced the speaker dock and with a wince sat down at the battered desk glaring. Rolling her eyes, Gaby sighed and motioned to herself helplessly.

"Well what am I expected to do Quinn? I can't exactly ring or bleep you can I?"

Sighing, Quinn unlaced her old track shoe and slid it off to inspect the damage, nothing looked broken but the toe nail of her big toe had gone purple and she grimaced.

"Great…and no I suppose you can't just bleep me but, I mean appearing out of nowhere is scary as fuck, maybe you could have like, appeared up here and cleared your throat or something to get my attention?"

Crossing her arms and sighing slightly, the redhead shrugged.

"Fine, _next _time I will go for the subtle approach, it's just that I left you a little longer than I should have done and time has become somewhat of an issue for this particular case."

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Quinn slid her sneaker back on.

"When you say time is 'somewhat' of an issue what exactly do you mean Gaby? How much time is there and _why _is it an issue…"

Clearing her throat, the red head flushed guiltily and glanced everywhere but directly at her best friend before murmuring something that Quinn only just heard, or thought she heard anyway because surely that couldn't be right!

"Okay, I'm going to ask you to repeat that because I could have sworn you said noon…as in tomorrow and that's _not _a time constraint, that's an impossibility!"

Wringing her hands together, Gabrielle grimaced slightly and began to pace while she explained.

"It wasn't meant to be such a tight time line but I felt bad for you, I mean you have had a lot to cope with in a short time and I know how hard you've been working yourself to get the money together for the babies, you need to watch your blood pressure by the way Fabray, so I put it off and then…well, then time caught up with me."

Trailing off with another grimace, the ghost shrugged a shoulder helplessly and watched as Quinn face palmed with a growl…and then another voice, an upper class and over educated voice piped up.

"Are you telling me I have to rely on this…this _grease monkey _to solve my case?"

For the _second _time that evening, Quinn jumped and dropped something on her foot, this time it was the can of hardly sipped Mountain Dew she had halfway to her mouth. Cursing vociferously, the blonde grabbed a roll of kitchen towel from the bench and started mopping up the spill even as she mourned the loss of the heavily caffeinated beverage. Glancing up, she took in the rather petite and stick thin form of a woman in her early twenties who, by the look of it, had also come direct _from _the twenties as she looked every inch the typical flapper girl. Straightening up, Quinn glanced between Gaby who was staring at the woman slightly perturbed and the spirit who looked disdainful of her supposed rescuer.

"Great, now they're all just letting themselves into my life without any introduction…Gaby you told me they wouldn't be able to _do _that! And why would I want to help her she's rude, and kinda stuck up!"

Hiking a thumb over her shoulder at the flapper girl, the pilot limped over to the fridge in the corner and snagged another can of soda triumphantly. When she turned back around both spirits were looking at her, Gaby looked uncomfortable but resigned and the flapper girl…actually looked slightly apologetic. Rolling her eyes, Quinn slumped down into the seat by the desk again and gestured for Gaby to continue.

"Quinn this is Millicent Boggs."

Mountain Dew promptly sprayed from the blondes nose as she snorted a laugh and Gaby rolled her eyes whilst Millicent looked suitably annoyed and exasperated before turning to face her fellow spectre.

"Seriously…_this _is the person that's meant to be able to help me and others like me?"

Gaby spread her hands wide with a calming smile, meanwhile Quinn wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and had the good grace to blush.

"I'm sorry, it's just been a tough few weeks and any chance to laugh is one I'm gonna take, but…you're right it was completely unprofessional, I'm all ears now however."

Millicent huffed and patted her immaculate black hair before gesturing disdainfully.

"Fine, but you look like a dockworker dressed like that _and _you have oil practically everywhere, it makes it difficult to confide ones problems in someone who looks like _the _help instead of someone capable of help."

Gritting her teeth, Quinn shot a glare at Gaby who was beginning to look more and more uncomfortable, nevertheless the pilot managed to crank out a suitable smile.

"Well as this is the real world and I need to earn some _actual _money on top of this dead people gig, I'd suggest you deal with it! Now can we get to what I need to do and why the hell I only have until noon tomorrow to get it done?"

Before Millicent and Quinn could lock horns again, Gaby leapt into the conversation gratefully.

"Indeed, but try not to flip out or anything Sherlock because it sounds worse than it is…kinda?"

Forgetting the oil on her hands, Quinn used one of them to massage her temples and calm the already growing headache as she forced herself to talk calmly.

"Putting a proviso in front of an explanation does not calm me Gabs as you well know, if anything it makes me think the worst so how about you just spit it out?"

Millicent rolled her eyes and examined her immaculate manicure as if she had all the time in the world and was bored; Gaby cracked her knuckles nervously then spoke in a rush.

"Right well, Millicent has been here since 1923, she was caught in the crossfire outside a club, some bust up between a bunch of bootleggers and the cops. The matter of who killed her isn't the one that needs to be solved as he took a bullet less than fifty seconds after she did. However, she comes from a particularly prominent family, Boggs is her married name…"

Quinn interrupted at that point as she raised an eyebrow and turned to gaze at the spectre in disbelief.

"You seriously married someone called Boggs and took _their _name, what was your name beforehand, Crapper?"

Unseen by either Quinn or Millicent, Gaby face palmed muttering under her breath, the flapper girl straightened and narrowed her eyes as she glared at the pilot snootily.

"If you must know, and I suppose you must, my maiden name was Deveraux."

The dark brown eyes of the spectre shone with triumph as the blonde's jaw dropped, she looked between her best friend and the flapper girl in disbelief.

"Holy shit…as in _**THE **_Deveraux's, the ones that owned like fifty percent of Manhattan at one point…those Deveraux's?"

Gaby nodded and then wrung her hands together as realisation began to creep into the pilot's hazel eyes. Millicent tugged at the edges of her elbow length gloves and sighed impatiently as she waved one hand airily.

"Yes, so now you see why I changed my name! That name was like a curse in many ways, having to live up to the expectations that my parents had set. Don't get me wrong, I loved them and they loved me but it was so tiring having to maintain a certain image, all I wanted was the life of a normal young woman, admittedly the illegal drinking was risky but I never suspected it would end the way it did."

The ghost trailed off mournfully and as the sadness set in the majority of her superior attitude leached away. Quinn had a hand half raised to pat Millicent's shoulder comfortingly before realising she couldn't touch her, instead she ran it over the bandana and turned to Gaby who leapt back into the conversation hurriedly.

"Millie needs to cross over as her time in the Tween is rapidly reaching it's expiration date, you know now the family she came from, everyone has heard of the Deveraux's and how they rose to become one of the most influential families of the century. And I'm also sure you remember how their fall from grace happened as well?"

Rubbing her jaw thoughtfully, the blonde searched her memory, if truth be told, she had always been a little in love with that particular era but not so much the social scene. However when it came to the criminal enterprises of the likes of Capone and Dillinger to name just a couple, she was a literal font of knowledge. But…the name Deveraux _was _ringing bells when it came to criminal enterprises, she just couldn't put her finger on why.

"I remember there was some kind of scandal involving one of their…oh! One of their daughters, that was you right?"

She glanced to Millie who nodded reluctantly before gesturing for Gaby to explain it properly; it was obviously a sore issue that she would rather not discuss herself. Quinn's gaze switched to her best friend and she raised an eyebrow expectantly, Gaby rolled her eyes and with a swift glance to check that Millicent was still with them she huffed a breath and started to explain.

"Millicent _was _in fact just an innocent bystander, well okay, she was in the club drinking but she certainly was not part of the raid that she was connected to."

Fishing a roll of cherry life savers from her pocket, Quinn palmed one and gestured for the red head to continue.

"The gang of bootleggers that were hitting up the club were after the smuggled booze that had come in. Basically if the good stuff was coming in at an affordable price then the bootleggers had no market, as you are only too aware of Quinn, due to your love of gangsters. So they raided the supplies of the good stuff, watered it down and sold it at profit along with the bootleg liquor. This particular gang had someone in the know inside the club which is how they always knew when to hit it…the way the raid went down that day left the finger of blame pointing squarely at Millicent."

At that, the ghost in question snorted and rolled her eyes muttering under her breath.

"As if I would _lower _myself to work with a bunch of thugs and convicts!"

That rankled Quinn, as she was strictly speaking an ex-convict herself, before she could speak up and start another argument, Gaby hurried on.

"The upshot was, the Deveraux's lost nearly everything, as their reputation crumbled so did their empire, until the only thing left were their stocks and shares and the big house in Manhattan. For years, the family tried to prove that Millicent was innocent of any complicity with the gang but they could never disprove the story of Eileen Merchant."

Millicent's face soured at the name and she grimaced as though smelling some particularly vile mixture of garbage and fish guts.

"That utter and complete _witch_! I hope she choked on the fortune she made from her _so called _expose of 'The reality behind High Society's Deveraux Family' it was nothing but lies, exaggeration and speculation but it was still enough to destroy the years of work and goodwill my parents had built up!"

Finishing her candy, Quinn offered a small but genuine smile.

"I'm sorry…I know what it's like to feel like you're dragging your family name through the mud, difference is you didn't actually _do _anything. So, you need me to clear your name, I get that but _how _exactly and why the deadline of noon tomorrow?"

Millicent interrupted Gaby then to take over the telling of the story, apparently while she didn't want to discuss her own death or her family's fall from grace, she was all too happy to discuss the 'evil witch Eileen Merchant'.

"Eileen was supposed to be my best friend and for some reason I never distrusted her! Looking back I could kick myself, it was her that knew where the speakeasy's were, her that knew exactly what cocktails to order and what they contained…I'm ashamed to say I looked up to her. My parents were smarter, they warned me that she wasn't all she appeared to be but I thought they were being old fashioned, that they didn't like her because she liked to party and wasn't afraid to talk a walk on the wild side. I argued with them constantly and snuck out when they tried to keep me in and instead I chose to believe in her. I believed in Eileen and in doing so, I gave her everything she needed to bring my family to it's knees, I can't cross over, I _can't _face them until I can clear my name…restore my family's reputation."

She was close to tears by the time she finished and Quinn's eyes softened as she took in the ghost who seemed somehow smaller now that her attitude had dissipated completely. Smiling slightly, she stood up and wiping her hands on the cloth she had in her back pocket, spoke to both of them.

"Okay, I get what we have to do and I'm all in…so now you just need to tell me _how _we prove your innocence?"

Millicent stood taller at that and patted her hair again in what Quinn was rapidly starting to recognise as a habitual gesture.

"Ely always kept a journal, or to be more accurate she kept _two _journals, one that was for public consumption and one that was her true journal. She used the fictional one as the basis for her so called tell- all book, it was filled with everything we did but it was reversed. _I _was the one painted as the out of control party girl with _her _as the easily led astray innocent country girl. Sadly the fights I had, had with my parents regarding my spending time with her were publicly documented. Several of them had taken place in restaurants or parks where we had been overheard which made her tales all the more believable. On the day of the shootout outside the club, she had told the gang where and when to hit to grab the booze…and then when the police turned up out of nowhere she slipped her 'little black book' into my purse. When I was killed and my effects taken in as evidence, the police found the book which listed names and numbers for some of the most notorious bootleggers in New York. My parents denied all knowledge of course but Ely tearfully confessed that I was always taking her to clubs and meeting with shady gentlemen and making phone calls from public call boxes. I know however that if we found her true journals then the truth would come out…the Deveraux's would be vindicated."

With her speech done, the flapper girl smiled ever so slightly, Quinn spoke as she shrugged out of her coverall's and headed to the bank of lockers in her jeans and vest, speaking as she went.

"So…we get the journals and hand them to a reporter, who I'm guessing would run a 'tell all' of their own that finally reveals the truth, sounds easy enough to me, where are the journals?"

She continued to wash her hands and face in the dingy sink that stood next to the main workbench, there was a proper locker room and showers but if time was a factor then a rough scrub up would do. It was only as she was towelling her face dry that she realised there was no answer forthcoming regarding the whereabouts of the journal, turning, she saw the two spectres shifting uncomfortably. Grinding her teeth slightly, the blonde slid off the bandana and finger-combed the mussed locks before grabbing her jacket and growling.

"If this is where you tell me I have to do some kind of Relic Hunter, Indiana Jones style treasure hunt through caves and booby traps then I'm going to demand a fedora and bullwhip before I even start!"

She was only half serious but the pregnant silence was starting to worry her, Gaby's eyes widened comically and she shook her head swiftly.

"No treasure hunts or booby traps I promise, we know exactly where the journals are because Millie saw her hide them once when she was over…it's just that where they are is, well it's not exactly public."

Shoving her hands into her jeans pockets, Quinn took a deep breath in and forced herself to ask.

"Okay…just tell me where it is."

Millicent just looked over at Gaby who rolled her eyes but realised that it was her that was going to have to break the news to the pilot.

"Well it's in the building that used to be her house, I mean it's still a house it's just not that family's house anymore. They moved on to bigger and better things a long time since, the journal is in the attic behind a loose brick just under the round window."

The blonde shrugged, frowning in confusion she glanced between the two ghosts.

"That sounds simple enough, we knock on the door, say that we're distant relatives of someone that used to live there and we wanted to check on a myth about hidden stuff in the attic…easy!"

Millicent smirked slightly and Gaby shot her a mild glare before clearing her throat.

"Yeah…except um, well we can't _exactly _do that?"

Narrowing her eyes again, Quinn ran her now clean hands through her hair.

"What _now _Gaby, come on just tell me already so we can get this done, I kinda want to be home by morning to surprise Rachel."

Millicent's eyebrow rose curiously but Quinn ignored it and looked hard at her friend until the red head caved.

"It's a museum now, it houses art and curios from the twenties, it's not armed with an alarm system as it's more for local artists and unknowns than masterpieces but there is one old security guard and his dog…and you kinda need to break in."

Hazel eyes widened and swung from the flapper girl to her guiltily shuffling friend, after a few moments of heavy silence, Quinn burst.

"What the ever loving _fuck _Gaby! I have to break into a museum which is patrolled, sneak up to the attic and basically steal the damn diaries!"

Chewing on her lower lip, the ghost held her hands out calmingly.

"I know it _sounds _difficult but if they don't know about the journals then technically it can't be stealing can it? I mean you can't steal something that isn't theirs in the first place."

Pacing, the pilot threw her hands around in agitation as she growled.

"Oh, that's a _great _defence, I'll be sure to use that when my ass get's thrown in jail again!"

Wincing, the redhead sighed and hastily explained.

"That's only _if _you get caught and with us there you won't! We can keep watch and he'll never even know, it's a big house, twelve bedrooms so there's plenty of places to hide even if he does start getting close."

Rubbing her hands roughly down her face, the pilot heaved a resigned sigh.

"So, there's no other way of doing it then, like waiting till it opens tomorrow and then sneaking off to the attic on a tour?"

Gaby shook her head.

"During the day there are stewards posted all around the museum, mainly to answer questions but also to keep people out of the area's of the house not on the tour…including the attic."

Quinn rolled her eyes grumbling.

"Of course, shit…fine let's just get this done then, but if I get caught then I'm going to find a ghost buster to kick _both _your asses, clear!"

Both spectres nodded, Gaby looking at her with a mixture of relief and amusement and Millicent mostly just looking grateful. Shaking her head and muttering under her breath, the pilot made her way to the garage and the bike, sliding onto it, she slipped her crash helmet on. Sadly she had been unable to resurrect the Indian after the crash Jesse had caused, so to console herself she had bought one of the original Ducatti Monster Black's and stripped it down before rebuilding it again. Pausing for a moment to almost caress the custom paintwork on the engine housing, she spoke swiftly.

"Give me the address and I'll meet you there."

Once she had the address, she mapped the route in her head and thanked god that one of her part time jobs during college had been sick cover for a Taxi firm, it had only been manning the desk but it had given her an extensive knowledge of New York's boroughs. She stopped a street away, partly because it was mostly businesses that were long since closed up for the night and quiet, and partly because she wanted to check in with Rachel who by now would be at Kurt and Blaine's. Sliding out her phone, she hit Rachel's contact photo and waited, the diva answered on the third ring sounding exhausted but happy and instantly Quinn relaxed, her crooked smile growing.

"What's up Froot Loop, you miss me?"

Chuckling, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke, wishing it was Rachel's hand that was easing the tension she could feel creeping up on her.

"Always, just wanted to make sure the rainbow coalition were looking after my beautiful girlfriend and babies, how are the peanuts?"

Rachel giggled and the blonde felt the familiar warmth in her stomach at the wonderful sound.

"We are all fine, although I'm not sure if I can get used to people wanting to touch my belly or kiss it…except you of course, you have full belly touching and kissing privileges."

Raising an eyebrow at the very thought she might not have access, Quinn spoke smoothly.

"I should think so too, because tomorrow afternoon after a long lie in, I intend to come collect you, head out for brunch and then spend the rest of the day in bed making you scream my name."

There was a gasp on the other end of the phone and the pilot grinned as she imagined the light blush she knew would be dusting the brunette's cheeks at that very moment. After a stunned second, Rachel cleared her throat.

"Well, in that case don't be late picking me up, I wouldn't want to set those plans back…how's work going baby?"

Wincing at the fact she wasn't at work and was in fact about to break into a museum and steal/not steal a bunch of inflammatory diaries, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck.

"Um, the usual you know? I think Santana deliberately rags the shi…uh heck out of her cars just to annoy me you know!"

At that Rachel gave a full- bodied laugh before agreeing.

"Knowing her I can believe it! Anyway I better go the boys and I are watching the movie version of Hairspray and Kurt's pouting because we paused it just before Zac Efron's rendition of Ladies Choice."

The pilot snorted and rolled her eyes reflexively even though she knew the little diva wouldn't be able to see it.

"Okay, heaven forbid I interrupt their drool fest."

Rachel made a sound of surprise and again without being able to see, Quinn knew the diva would be trying her best to emulate the arched eyebrow of doom as she drawled out.

"So say's the person who goes moon eyed over Amanda Bynes _every _time she watches the very same movie."

Sighing dramatically, the pilot acknowledged the hit.

"Fair point, well presented, I concede the hit, now let me go with at least _some _of my dignity in tact Cheerio."

Rachel snorted another laugh at that.

"I think you lost the last of your dignity in senior year when my dad's came home early and found us screwing on the kitchen table amidst the remains of their anniversary dinner!"

Groaning, Quinn face palmed loudly enough for Rachel to hear it on the other end of the phone.

"Aw Rach did you have to remind me of that! I only just managed to wipe that memory from my mind. I'm not sure which was worse, Leroy crying about the ruined dinner, which by the way we didn't know about so _totally _not our fault that we ate it, or Hiram chasing me round the house screaming about how he was going to skin me alive for defiling you!"

As usual all Rachel could do was laugh uproariously at the memory of Quinn running around the house trying to dress herself while Hiram chased after her red-faced. It was funny in retrospect as both their memories insisted on playing it back like some Carry on Film (in Quinn's case complete with music) but at the time it had been terrifying.

"And on _that _note, I shall leave you to finish repairing Santana's car, see you tomorrow baby, and be careful, me and the peanut's love you!"

Smiling sappily, the blonde rubbed the back of her neck.

"Love you too gorgeous, see you in the morning."

Seconds later, she slipped the phone back into her jacket pocket and taking her helmet off hung it off the handlebars of the bike. She kept the gloves on just in case, not that her fingerprints should still be on file as her record was meant to be expunged but you could never be too careful when it came to breaking and entering. Rolling her eyes at that thought, Quinn started to walk towards the darkened house, which looked more like a mansion in her opinion, and ducked down behind the hedgerow where she saw Millicent and Gaby standing. They of course had no need to duck down, the red head grinned and winked at her reassuringly. At the gesture, Quinn was instantly transported back more than a decade as she remembered the various misadventures the two of them had managed to get themselves into. Every single one of which had started with that cheeky grin of Gaby's, the memories filled her with the same foolhardy confidence she had, had at thirteen and she winked back before glancing to the floodlit building.

"Right…Gaby you go inside and work out the best way for me to get in un-noticed, Millicent you go see where the guard is and follow him for a bit, see if you can get an idea of his route."

Sniffing slightly at being ordered around, the flapper girl nevertheless huffed and disappeared, Gaby however nodded eagerly, obviously feeling the same mix of nostalgia and bravado that Quinn was. They both took off and Quinn just settled down to wait hoping there weren't any locks that needed picking. Not because she couldn't, but because she only had a few paperclips in her pockets rather than the lock pick kit Angelina had gifted her, ten minutes later Gaby was back smiling in relief.

"Okay the good news is that there's a window unlocked that leads down into the basement, bad news of course being we then have to make our way up through all four levels."

Hazel eyes gleamed slightly with mischief and Quinn found she was actually looking forward to this in a perverse way. It wasn't that she was the type of person that looked for trouble _but_…she would be lying if she didn't admit that the adrenaline rush was awesome!

"Well then we're just going to have to be bloody careful aren't we Watson?"

Nudging the pilot's shoulder with her own, Gaby grinned back.

"Indubitably Sherlock!"

They were still giggling when Millicent reappeared; she huffed impatiently at the two of them as they gathered themselves together. Once the sniggering had stopped, the flapper girl folded her arms petulantly.

"If you two have quite finished messing around, I would like to get this problem solved before time runs out…now, the guard starts at the main entrance, does the ground floor, first floor, second floor et cetera all the way up to the attic. Then takes the fire exit back down to start over again and, every three circuits, he stops for a twenty minute break."

Quinn raised an impressed eyebrow.

"You learnt all that in twenty minutes?"

Shrugging slightly, the young ghost half smiled and confessed.

"I snuck into his office and checked the routine on the clipboard then followed him long enough to work out that he stuck to it. A word of warning though, while he looks like he should have retired a decade ago, the dog is very big, very young and can definitely sense us."

She waved a finger between herself and Gaby to indicate that as rumour suggested, dogs were indeed nature's best ghost hunters. Quinn furrowed her brow worriedly at that news; they were going to have to time this perfectly to avoid any encounters. Running the information the two spectres had gathered through her mind, she swiftly cobbled together a plan.

"Okay…here's the plan, our point of entry is the window into the basement that much we know for sure. Millie if you head up to the second floor, wait for him to start his round there and then let me know, at that point I'll get into the basement. Hopefully I can make it through there and the first floor before he starts making his way back down. Gaby you need to stay on the first floor and when he reaches there you find me and I'll hide up before he makes his rounds of that one. Once he gets all the way down to the basement we head upstairs, with any luck I can get up there and find the journals before he returns."

Gaby considered the plan and then nodded.

"Well that's great for getting in but what about getting out?"

Quinn opened her mouth then paused and closed it again as she frowned heavily, after a moment, she shrugged one shoulder before grinning.

"I'm sure we can work it out, it will involve some more hiding but if we trail him down then I figure once he passes the entrance to the basement to finish his tour of the ground floor, I can nip down there and be out before he even enters."

The ghosts looked at each other in trepidation for a moment, Gaby glanced sidelong at Quinn and regained her grin, shrugging, she nodded to Millicent.

"Let's go for it, Millie, you head up to the second floor, Q and I will make our way round to the basement window."

The flapper girl disappeared and the two old friends started to commando crawl alongside the hedgerow to rest opposite the basement window, luckily there were no buildings that overlooked the museum, or at least no buildings that were currently occupied. Quinn glanced over at Gaby and smirked.

"Why are you commando crawling with me Watson, you can't be seen remember?"

The red head shrugged.

"Why not it's more fun this way, especially as I'm not getting covered in mud unlike you…good luck explaining the grass stains to Rachel."

The ghost smirked as Quinn scowled and then grimaced at the mud and grass stains now marking her jeans and vest. She ignored Gaby's laughter and couldn't help but start slightly when Millicent appeared in front of them abruptly.

"Okay you're clear to go, he's just starting the tour of the second floor so I predict you will have at least twenty minutes to get in and up to the ground floor…plus of course find somewhere decent to hide yourself so the dog won't find you."

Nodding, Quinn swiftly made her way to the basement window, as Gaby had said it pulled open easily enough and without a sound. Slithering on her belly, the pilot managed to squeeze through the gap and into the basement with no issues, she slid onto the floor and paused for a moment as she let the window close gently behind her. There was no barking or hurried footsteps so letting her breath out in relief, she made her way up the basement stairs and lightly pushed the door open far enough to slip out. The building was much larger than it looked from the outside and she waited patiently for Gaby to appear as she made her way through the corridors. The red head appeared at the end of one corridor and gestured for Quinn to join her, swiftly the pilot made her way over.

"Sherlock have you got something with you to pick locks?"

Frowning, Quinn dug in her pockets and pulled out a few paper clips raising an eyebrow, Gaby gestured to the locked door she was standing in front of.

"The café is behind this door, it's small but as it's locked he never checks inside it, it's the perfect place to hide until he goes down to the basement, if you can get into it in under ten minutes that is?"

She worded it as a challenge knowing that the blonde would react to that better than she would a question. Sure enough, Quinn grinned and swiftly straightened out two of the paperclips turning the end of one over carefully before bending down in front of the lock.

"This is an easy lock, should take me less than three minutes, even without the proper kit."

Gaby shook her head with a fond smile as she watched her friend work swiftly and confidently.

"Where on earth did you learn all this stuff Sherlock, I know you used to practice when you were a kid in preparation for your detective agency but…I never realised you got this good at it."

Smirking slightly, Quinn spoke in a whisper even as she kept her eyes and ears on the lock she was working on.

"Well there wasn't a lot else to talk about in Juvie other than why we were in there and swap stories and techniques. I passed on some of the self- defence my dad taught me and in return I learnt how to pick locks, boost cars and break a guy's nose with one punch."

The lock turned over with a quiet click and Quinn glanced up at Gaby, waggling her eyebrows, the red head grinned but rolled her eyes as she followed the pilot inside. Quinn's eyes of course lit up at the candy lining the counter and reached out to snag a 3 Musketeers bar, only to stop with a pout when Gaby slapped her hand away.

"Nuh uh Sherlock, no way, that would be stealing!"

Sighing, the blonde nonetheless nodded in agreement and ducked down behind the counter waiting for Millicent to give the all clear so she could make her way up to the basement, five minutes later the ghost appeared and motioning to Quinn and Gaby led the way up to the first floor. From there it was easy enough to find their way up to the attic, although Quinn almost yelled in fright when she practically walked into a suit of Samurai armour. It was only Gaby's quick thinking and ability to touch Quinn that saved the pilot's skin as she slapped a hand over her mouth before any sound could leak out. Once she felt her heart beat return to normal, the blonde nodded and Gaby removed her hand, soon after that they were in the attic and Quinn was watching closely as Millie examined the wall under the small window carefully, searching for the loose brick she remembered from so many years before. After pacing back and forth in front of it for a while, she paused and tapped, or rather gestured at, a particular brick. Moving forwards swiftly, Quinn examined the cement around the red brick looking for cracks, frowning, she fished the straightened paperclips from her pocket and began to scrape at the cement surrounding the brick, murmuring under her breath as she worked.

"You sure this is the one?"

The flapper girl narrowed her eyes and scowled grumpily as she hissed her answer out.

"Of course I'm sure! My family's reputation is riding on me getting this right so when I say that it is behind that brick, I mean it is _definitely _behind that brick."

Quinn rolled her eyes and kept working on the cement with the edge of the paper clips.

"Alright keep your wig on Boggs, shouldn't you be watching out again right now anyway? Because if we get caught then your family name stays dirty."

Muttering under her breath, Millicent disappeared again, next to Quinn, Gaby sighed and chuckled slightly.

"You really are a sweet talker aren't you Sherlock?"

Snorting dismissively, the pilot paused to wipe sweat off of her forehead with her sleeve.

"Yeah well, _she _doesn't exactly win any prizes for being Miss Congeniality either you know? I only react to how people act with me and…wait, I think I got it!"

Chewing lightly on her lip in concentration, Quinn managed to get her fingers into the groove she had created and wriggled the brick around, biting down on a yell of triumph as it started to slide easily from the wall. Once it was free, the blonde peered into the gap but couldn't see much, grimacing and trying _not _to think about spiders and bugs too closely slid her arm into the opening and felt around gingerly. After a few moments of blindly groping around, her hand encountered a bag of some sort, getting a good hold of it, she started to ease her arm out gently, trying not to jog the parcel. When she finally pulled it free, it was a slim and somewhat moth eaten silk bag, raising an eyebrow she quickly peered inside it. Sure enough there were at least ten slim leather bound journals and a small velvet bag, happy that it was indeed what they had come for, she tucked it into her jacket and zipped it closed. Seconds later Millicent reappeared and gestured with a hand to indicate that the guard was now making his way back upstairs, Quinn glanced across to Gaby who nodded and started to lead the way back down, they were only just stepping onto the second floor when they heard the familiar pad of canine feet heading towards them, the guard's voice sounded out of breath as he called for his dog, freezing, Quinn stared wide-eyed at the other two.

"What the fuck do we do now!"

Millicent looked guiltily at them both and tucked her hands under her arms.

"I think I spooked him when I went down earlier, just…hide, find somewhere to hide and we can try and distract him again, at least long enough to enable you to escape!"

Nodding frantically, the blonde started to run lightly but swiftly towards one of the rooms at the end that she vaguely remembered as being a bedroom. Skidding inside, she fell to her stomach and started wriggling under the bed hastily, _not _hastily enough as it turned out and she heard the snarl of the dog seconds before it sank it's teeth…right into her left butt cheek. Luckily, Gaby appeared just in time and slapped her hand over Quinn's mouth again, hurriedly helping to pull her under the bed. The dog however wasn't eager to give up his prize and the pilot vowed that whatever pet they ended up with, it _wouldn't _be a bloody Alsatian! Hazel eyes widened as she heard Millicent calling to the dog, distracting him, before she remembered that no one else would be able to hear the spirit, certainly not the guard. Finally free of the dog's teeth, she watched with one eye from under the bed as he started barking at the corner Millie was stood in. the guard arrived shortly afterwards to see his dog apparently barking at thin air, grumbling under his breath about mad dogs and phantom burglars, he dragged the still whining Alsatian back out and up towards the attic. Letting her head thump lightly down onto the carpet, Quinn let out a breath of relief before sliding herself out from under the bed, reaching round she winced when she touched her ripped jeans.

"Well that's just brilliant, how the _hell _am I gonna explain this to Rachel when she asks what happened?"

Shrugging slightly, Gaby looked around anxiously before replying.

"I think that right now we need to be more concerned with getting out of here…and _possibly _getting you a tetanus shot."

Narrowing her eyes at the mild joke, the pilot limped after the spirits as they led the way, on the alert for the possibility of more canine distraction techniques needing to be used. Luckily, they managed to get out without any further incident, though by that point Quinn was in a certain amount of discomfort and the seat of her pants was damp from the bleeding. It hadn't bled much just enough to make the light wind that was blowing highly unpleasant, sitting on the bike however was a _whole _other kind of unpleasant hell and she was dreading the ride home. She glanced between the two ghosts who looked relieved, happy and apologetic about the dog bite. Sighing and relieved to be seated despite the throbbing in her buttocks, Quinn ran her hands through her hair tiredly, stifling a yawn.

"So who am I taking these journals too and can it wait till morning?"

Gaby and Millicent glanced at each other and the red head shrugged apologetically before turning back to Quinn, who by this point looked exhausted and mildly pissed off.

"Unfortunately, we need to get them delivered to the newspaper tonight, but at least you don't like have to break in or anything?"

The latter half of the sentence was offered with a half smile in an attempt to lighten the mood; the pilot however refused to accept the conversational olive branch and replied in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Gosh that's a shame, cos I was hoping to get my _other _ass cheek gnawed on!"

Wincing at the pointed criticism disguised as a comment, Gaby could only nod sympathetically and try not to look at the body part in question for fear of further angering her old friend.

"I'm sorry about this, there's this whole thing about dogs and the radius we can be in when near them and…I guess we miscalculated the distance and set him off, it won't happen again, I promise."

One blonde eyebrow rose so sharply that Gaby half expected a comic style exclamation mark to appear above the pilot's head. She spoke hastily in order to head off whatever tirade it was that Quinn was gearing up to unleash.

"All you need to do is put the journals in an envelope and drop them off at the offices of the Herald for the Attention of Tina Chang, she's their society reporter and she'll love this, plus she could prove useful in the future and it , _never _hurts to have a reporter on our side. Put your card in with it along with a note saying you found them in a box at a jumble sale or something…it's not like anyone can trace them because the only people that knew about them are dead. That way she can contact you before they go to press to confirm they're genuine, once the paper comes out, your job on this one is done!"

Half of Quinn was ecstatic at having gotten through her first case as a spirit wrangler unharmed (well, relatively unharmed anyway), the other half was tired, sore and just wanted to get the journals sorted out so she could go home and crash…and of course think up a decent excuse for Rachel to explain the dog bite. Mustering a smile nonetheless, she was about to talk when the voice of the flapper girl interrupted her softly.

"I…would like to thank you for this, it may seem silly, to need to do this before I finally pass over but…I owe it to my parents. They were good people who worked hard to make the city a better place, it was the least I could do…and I couldn't have done it without you so um, thanks."

Letting her expression relax into it's more usual and natural grin, Quinn shrugged a shoulder and shifted on the seat of the bike.

"Yeah well…it's kinda what I do apparently, and I suppose that you aren't that bad really…for a spoiled society girl."

For a moment, Gaby stiffened expecting another face off…she was surprised therefore when Millicent threw her head back and laughed in genuine amusement. Relaxing the red head rolled her eyes at the pilot who just shrugged good naturedly at her best friend's exasperation. The flapper girl's laughter eased after a moment and she flashed Quinn a genuine smile that softened her whole face, eyes sparkling with merriment, she replied just as nonchalantly.

"And you did a competent job…for a dock working grease monkey."

Quinn was the one laughing now and she nodded in acknowledgement of the hit before slipping her crash helmet on.

"Well I need to go find a seven eleven and get an envelope to post these journals, I guess I'll see you…at some point, Boggs, take care of yourself."

Nodding and smiling one more time, the ghost disappeared leaving the blonde alone with Gaby, the red head turned to Quinn and lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You did good Sherlock, real good…I'll meet you back at your place, someone needs to look at that bite on your ass and with wifey having a sleepover, I suppose it's me…the _things _I do for you Fabray."

Narrowing her eyes in a mock glare, the pilot fastened her crash helmet and gunned the bikes engine.

"Don't even _start _with me Armaro, I'll see you back at the flat."

The ghost smirked and wiggling her fingers in a goodbye gesture, disappeared; Quinn rolled her eyes and took off. Just as she suspected the rumble of the Ducatti really, _really _exacerbated the bite and for the first time in her life, she wished she had listened to Rachel and got a car instead of another bike. Luckily it didn't take more than an hour to finish up the tasks she had left to do, she easily found somewhere to buy an envelope and marker pen. She had labelled, posted the journals to one Tina Chang and made it home within the hour, sighing gratefully, she hung the crash helmet and coat up (Rachel had managed to instil _some _sense of neatness into her) before gingerly unfastening her jeans and letting them drop to the floor. Trudging into the lounge, she saw Gaby was already sat on the sofa and had the small first aid kit from the bathroom in her lap…along with a nurse's cap, she smirked as Quinn walked in and rolled her eyes.

"Funny, real cute…now can we get this over with, there's just something extremely weird about having the ghost of my dead best friend clean up the dog bite on my ass! Then again I get the feeling that weird is quickly going to become run-of-the-mill doing this job."

Grinning unrepentantly, Gaby straightened her nurse's cap and gestured for Quinn to lie on the sofa and spoke cheerily.

"You got that right Fabray, now drop those shorts and stop whining, it's not like I haven't seen it all before or have you already forgotten cheerleading camp in sophomore year?"

Smirking slightly, the blonde kicked her now ruined Superman boxers off and lay face down on the sofa with a tired sigh.

"Like I could ever forget, you had a massive crush on that boy from McKinley who turned out to be gay! You dragged me round that damn camp non stop ogling him, I still can't believe you didn't realise he was gay, his name's Kurt by the way and he's really nice, that's where Rae is tonight, with him and his _boyfriend_."

She smirked as she emphasised the last word, a smirk that soon turned into a grimace and yelp of discomfort as Gaby splashed the iodine onto the wound liberally.

"Oops, it must have spilled."

Not fooled for a moment, the blonde subsided with a grumble and a glare over her shoulder at the innocently smiling ghost.

"Yeah, yeah of course it did…is it bad?"

She tried to look over her shoulder until the red head tutted and forcefully shoved her head back down onto her folded arms.

"Quit wriggling Fabray! If you don't hold still the steri-strips won't hold and I'll have to start all over again, or do you actually _want _another dose of iodine, is it like one of your weird kinks or something?"

Snorting into her folded arms, Quinn could only hear the sound of her own voice and Gaby's chuckling as she replied.

"No, of all the weird kinks I _do _have, I can honestly say that having my best friend pour antibacterial liquid into a dog bite on my ass that I received whilst in the commission of a 'robbery that wasn't really a robbery' is not one of them!"

Gaby made a strangled sort of noise in the back of her throat and the pilot lifted her head from her folded arms…only for her eyes to widen dramatically as she took in the sight of Rachel (who had obviously heard her last statement) staring at her with a mix of bewilderment and worry. Glancing up at Gaby, the ghost muttered apologetically.

"I did try telling you but you were in mid rant!"

Smiling weakly, the only comment Quinn could come up with was the always lame…

"This _really _isn't what it looks like!"

_Whew this turned into a bit of a monster! __B__ut I wanted to write them telling Judy at least so she could reveal a little bit more information about the legacy that runs in the Fabray family. Then of course I intended to end this part before they actually did the 'robbery not robbery' but…I couldn't stop! I therefore apologise to you lovely people for delaying this chapter so I could finish it and hope you continue to enjoy it, please let me know what works and doesn't work so I can fine tune it for you! Anyway I shall be AWOL for a few days as I immerse myself in Mass Effect 3 but the next update will be thin ice I think, as always you have my love and thanks for your taking the time to read and or comment, you rule! xxx_


	5. Chapter 5

For the longest moment it was so quiet in the small living room of the flat she and Quinn shared that Rachel was pretty sure she would have heard a pin drop…in the entrance lobby. The blonde was staring at her wide-eyed and bare-assed while a bottle of antiseptic hovered in the air along with a wad of cotton wool. Admittedly after her talk with Judy, she had no doubts that Quinn was lying to her about the presence of Gaby but…_seeing _it was a whole other thing entirely! Realising that she still had her keys dangling in the door, the diva shook her head sharply bringing herself out of the stunned immobility that had settled in as soon as she opened the door. Quinn watched in mild panic as her girlfriend shook her head and turned around again; being unable to see Rachel reaching for her keys, she jumped to conclusions and assumed she was going to leave. She bolted upright hastily, intending to try and explain the somewhat bizarre scene the diva had walked into…however she forgot to take into account the simple fact that her shorts were still round her ankles.

"Rach baby please…I can honestly explain this it's…"

That was as far as she got before gravity caught up with her, all Rachel heard were the few unintelligible words the pilot had managed to half yell and then a crash followed by a groan and swearing…a _lot _of swearing. Turning back around hurriedly, brown eyes widened in disbelief as she looked down at what used to be the coffee table and now was no more than kindling. In the middle of the debris (shorts still around her ankles) was Quinn, wincing as she tried to sit up and remove the bits of table. Immediately Rachel forgot about her keys, her bags, she even forgot she was pregnant with triplets as she gasped in horror and skidded to her knees next to the grumbling and groggy pilot.

"Quinn I was just getting my keys out of the door! What on _earth _were you thinking?"

Yelping as a splinter got caught in her hand, the blonde pouted and gestured vaguely to the door.

"Well it looked like you were going ya know…and I mean I couldn't exactly blame you, it's not every day you walk into a scene like that, especially when we were talking about kinks."

Smiling softly, Rachel reached out and pulled the damaged hand towards her, without speaking, she held it gently with her right hand and deftly plucked the splinter free. Sighing in relief, the pilot smiled slightly and watched as the diva kissed it better.

"Quinn you really can be a bit dense sometimes you know, I promised you I was going to stand by you through this. Nothing has changed you know, it just took me off guard, I mean talking about it and accepting it as a concept is all well and good but walking in to see things floating is a whole other ball game."

Smirking slightly at how it must have looked, Quinn felt a giggle slip past and pretty soon Rachel joined her. The moment passed and pausing to take the shorts off before they caused her girlfriend any more mishaps, Rachel helped her up. Looking around Quinn realised that Gaby had done a vanishing act and wasn't sure whether to be relieved or pissed at leaving her to do all the explaining…not that Rachel would have heard the spectre but still! Tutting, the diva took in the damage to the blonde's backside and directed her to lay back down on the sofa.

"Okay, let's get this cleaned again…_and _pick the splinters out, what on _earth _happened to you Quinn? Apart from the table part I mean."

Grimacing slightly, the pilot mulled it over in her mind and decided that as risky as it might be, she couldn't hide anything from Rachel. Heaving a sigh, she recounted the evening's activities, occasionally pausing to wince or yelp as splinters were pulled from her already tender flesh and iodine liberally splashed about. She was both comforted and worried that Rachel seemed to be remaining perfectly calm during the recitation, well…apart from the occasional tuts and sighs. Once she was done with her first aid, the diva placed a bandage over the butterfly stitches and then handed Quinn a clean pair of shorts from the laundry pile at the end of the sofa, which the blonde slipped on gratefully. Sitting down with a wince, she let out a breath and decided to face the music, running a hand through her hair, she risked a glance at her girlfriend…and her jaw dropped in shock at what she saw.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, are you _laughing _at me?"

Clapping a hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to keep the emerging giggles behind her lips, the brunette just shook her head fiercely in denial, though the fact her shoulders were shaking with mirth was a dead giveaway that yes, she was indeed laughing. Huffing irritably, Quinn crossed her arms and scowled as her 'loving' girlfriend degenerated into helpless giggles in the chair across from her. Eventually Rachel sat back up and wiped at the tears in her eyes before laying a conciliatory hand on the pilot's knee.

"You really do have the worst luck you know that sweetheart?"

Partly mollified by the endearment, Quinn couldn't help but smile slightly at that and nod her head in agreement.

"I mean, none of it was exactly planned, let's face it, how hard is it to break into an un-alarmed place with one old guy and a dog…especially when I had two invisible friends on the inside! Definitely going to have to remember to take pepper spray next time if there's going to be a dog around."

Wincing in sympathy, Rachel sat next to Quinn on the sofa and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck, smiling at the sensitive spot being lavished with attention, the pilot tilted her head slightly to one side giving the diva more access.

"How often are you anticipating having to break into places though? I mean…I don't want you behind bars when the peanut gang decide to make an appearance."

Humming distractedly in agreement, Quinn let herself be pushed further down onto the couch, the ache in her butt no longer a consideration when compared to the sensations Rachel's eager lips were creating wherever they touched her skin.

"Um…not many…hopefully, just that for some reason this job had a very tight timeline and…wow, uh, you know I only just put these shorts on right?"

A dark eyebrow arched sharply and the shorts in question were pushed down her legs as Rachel settled herself between Quinn's happily.

"I'm aware of that, but I came home early because I missed you too much, I was sat there watching Kurt and Blaine being all lovey dovey and suddenly all I could see was you?"

Now fully reclined on the sofa with Rachel's small hands adeptly running over her abs, Quinn swallowed slightly and tied to put aside the feelings that the diva's nails were creating as they scratched thin red lines down them.

"I…uh how exactly, I mean _what _was I doing then when you saw me, um in your head?"

The diva paused for a moment then unleashed 'the smile' Rachel Berry had many smiles, the polite smile, the show smile, the joyful smile and then there was the sex smile (Patented by Quinn Fabray) which was a mixture of school girl innocence and wanton lust…and guaranteed to make one particular blonde headed pilot do anything the brunette asked of her.

"Well now…to start off, you were just like this, underneath me trying to act cool but that didn't last long."

It was Quinn's turn to unleash her signature move as the Fabray eyebrow raised neatly and as it usually did, it caused Rachel's already damp panties to become even more sodden.

"Oh really? And just what was it you did to cause me to lose my cool?"

The smile went from innocently sexual to plain old hot as hell and Quinn felt her hazel eyes widening in response.

"Well, it started when I went straight to one of your weak spots…"

As she spoke, she bent her head low and trailed slow kisses from the corner of Quinn's mouth down until she reached the hollow of her throat. Pausing there, she nipped the flesh lightly before flicking the tip of her tongue out to soothe the small but already forming bruise. To her embarrassment, the pilot found herself already arching up to try and initiate more contact where she needed it, smirking against the alabaster skin of the blonde, Rachel ramped up the tension a bit more as she trailed light nips all along the collar bone before biting and sucking firmly at the juncture where neck meet's shoulder. She was rewarded as Quinn exhaled shakily, barely containing a moan. Of course that wasn't good enough for Rachel, she wanted a _real _response!

"But you were resistant, after all as you so often tell me, you have a reputation to protect…apparently it would be a bad thing if it got out how very pliable you are around me, however, I do love a challenge and I also know you have more than one weak spot."

Quinn ground her teeth, she both hated and loved it when Rachel got like this, when she gave in to her need to command and dominated Quinn…

"Maybe you do know my weak spots, but I also know _yours_!"

…that _didn't _mean however that she was going down without a fight! A quick flip and the positions were reversed, this time it was Rachel squirming and biting her lip not to cry out as Quinn palmed the diva's butt cheeks powerfully and nuzzled the arch of one breast with full on bites rather than the teasing nips. It was nothing more than a last ditch full frontal assault to try and take back control, and ultimately as always it would fail. Sure enough, after several minutes of allowing herself to be worked up, the diva angled her knee and pressed upwards. The jolt of arousal that shot through Quinn at the sharp contact caused her to freeze long enough for Rachel to take back control. The two of them slid off of the sofa to land on the floor with a thump (nowhere near the shattered table thank God), the pilot's brief yelp of discomfort as her bitten butt cheek hit the floor was swallowed by the diva who was hungrily plundering Quinn's mouth.

The last of Quinn's clothing went sailing over the back of the sofa and she was pushed flat on the floor, even if she had wanted to resist, she wasn't sure she could and in the back of her mind she ruminated that if this was the start of pregnancy induced hormones she may well just die from exhaustion. Her attempts to reach up and touch her girlfriend were quickly dashed when Rachel took hold of both her hands with one of her smaller ones and pressed them to the ground above her head. Scratching another set of thin red lines down the pilot's abdomen, Rachel groaned as she let the tips of the fingers on her free hand brush lightly through the wetness that was seeping out of Quinn steadily.

"Jesus Quinn, you're so wet and I haven't even done anything yet…not really anyway."

The tone was part amazed and part teasing, for the sake of her pride, the pilot chose to ignore the teasing part and only address the amazement.

"Yeah…well, have you _seen _you? You really are something else cheerio."

Her words came out little above a whisper and Rachel flushed pink as she acknowledged the compliment, ducking her head shyly for a moment she regained her composure. Looking up, her eyes were clear of any embarrassment and she deftly slid three fingers inside Quinn. Groaning loudly, the pilot arched up to meet the steady thrusts of her partner. Her hands clawed futilely at thin air as she yet again attempted to free one to touch the brazen beauty above her, the feeling of Rachel sliding rhythmically over the muscle in her thigh was driving her mad, she wanted to, scratch that she _needed _to touch her! As if sensing the desperation behind the lust clouded hazel eyes, Rachel let one hand loose, immediately Quinn moved to caress one of the heaving breasts above her and for a magical moment she managed to do so. It ended abruptly however when Rachel snatched hold of her arm again at the wrist and moved it down so it was lying on top of the blondes own thigh, panting desperately, the diva managed to speak between breaths.

"Fingers Quinn, I want to ride you…give me your fingers!"

Immediately, the pilot turned her hand and curled three fingers against the palm leaving the first two upright, a split second later, she felt the wet warmth of her girlfriend clamp down around them. Unable and unwilling to hold back anymore, Quinn growled happily at finally being able to feel Rachel. To remind the blonde who was in charge of this little tryst, the brunette hooked the ends of her fingers and brushed against the pilot's g-spot on the outstroke. Quinn's back arched powerfully enough to send the back of her head crashing dully onto the living room rug underneath her and Rachel smirked. Not for long however as Quinn began her own rhythm, inserting a third finger, she arched all three of them on every third thrust, soon enough Rachel was as worked up as she herself was. Letting her head fall back on her shoulders, Rachel rode her girlfriend's fingers with abandon, losing herself in the sensations Quinn was expertly stirring within her. Neither of them however got the chance to gloat as within seconds of each other, their climaxes hit, Rachel first as the pilot's hand automatically curled when she felt her own orgasm start to crest. Hearing the diva's deep-throated cry as she released, coupled with the wet warmth that suddenly drenched her thigh, caused Quinn to literally explode as well. After Rachel collapsed bodily on top of her, the two of them lay there breathlessly trying to remember how to breathe, long moments later, Quinn blinked sleepily and brushed Rachel's hair lightly with her fingertips before chuckling.

"Where on earth did that come from?"

Feeling a smile against her neck, the pilot turned slightly to regard dazed brown eyes blinking owlishly at her.

"Like I said, I missed you baby…a lot! I couldn't just stay with the boys when I knew you were back here all alone could I?"

Moving ever so slightly, Quinn winced, now the rush of pleasure had passed she was all too well aware of the healing dog bite on her ass.

"Well I'm glad you came home…but without wanting to ruin the moment I need to get somewhere more comfortable, also the rug is _definitely _going to need cleaning."

Swatting ever so lightly at the pilot's exposed abs, Rachel rose smoothly to her feet and leaning over, offered a hand up to the still slightly dazed Quinn. Gratefully accepting it, the pilot stood on shaky legs and then glanced down at the damp rug she was standing on, face flushed a deep red. Rachel just chuckled lightly, keeping her fingers laced with the pilot's, she led the way through to the bedroom, discarding what little clothing they had left on both women collapsed gratefully into bed.

"If this is the start of your pregnancy hormones baby…I'm going to say I like it."

Moving backwards until she was snuggled neatly up against her big spoon, the little diva sniggered slightly and stifling a yawn murmured.

"I'll remind you of that in six months time when you're exhausted and I'm the size of a whale demanding a cheeseburger at three AM."

Kissing the nape of the brunette's neck, Quinn smirked.

"First of all, I would still love you even if you were the size of fifteen houses and a small maisonette, secondly I don't get tired and thirdly you don't even eat meat."

Allowing her eyes to slide close, Rachel just smiled and murmured faintly.

"Like I said…I'll remind you of this in six months time."

The only reply she received was the very low and in it's own way charming snoring of her girlfriend, six seconds later Rachel was just as fast asleep.

With no work that morning, Quinn was determined to sleep in, Rachel was more than happy to let her do so and smiling happily left a note by the kettle to explain she had gone out to get groceries. Left alone to her own exhausted slumber, the blonde sank into an extremely pleasant dream about her, Rachel, a can of whipped cream and a yacht in the middle of nowhere. Which is why she was highly irritated by the persistent banging on the front door, scowling, she buried her head under the pillow and wondered why Rachel hadn't answered the door yet. Then of course she realised the usual background hum of the radio wasn't present which meant more than likely that Rachel wasn't there, huffing, she closed her eyes and decided to ignore the door, surely whoever it was wouldn't be that persistent? Her heavy eyes slid gratefully closed again as silence fell…for three seconds before the knocking started up again. Swearing under her breath, Quinn all but hurled herself out of bed and throwing on the first things she found stalked to the door wrenching it open so suddenly the person on the other side almost fell through it and into the blonde's arms. Regaining her footing, the pilot squinted slightly and wished she'd thought to grab her glasses as the person in front of her looked vaguely familiar.

"Um…Tina is that you?"

Smiling cheerily, the Asian girl nodded happily and pulled Quinn into a brief but enthusiastic hug, which the blonde was too surprised to return.

"I _thought _it must be you, I mean how many Quinn Fabray's can there be after all, I'm sorry I never kept in touch but life has been hectic since high school, though I know you still keep in touch with Mike, at least you do over Xbox live anyway, is Rachel here?"

Unable to think straight, let alone form words in the face of such a deluge of words, Quinn just gestured for Tina to come in. Accepting the invitation happily, the reporter bustled in and took a seat in the easy chair, rubbing her face roughly with both hands in the hopes of stimulating her still drowsy brain, Quinn murmured a quick "excuse me" and rushed to the bathroom to splash her face with water and slide her glasses on before heading back into the living room.

"So…ah Tina, um…what can I do for you?"

Looking puzzled, the reporter pulled out an envelope Quinn recognised and suddenly she remembered last night's events in vivid Technicolor. Eyes widening, she started to panic slightly thinking that the theft had been discovered and she raked her hands through her hair trying to smooth down the errant locks.

"Oh yeah the diaries, I figured that you would know what to do with them, being on the society? Uh pages."

She trailed off hoping that she had remembered correctly, secretly she was a little ashamed at herself for losing contact with their high school friends but in her defence, life had been sort of crazy. Rachel had been the one remembering to touch base with everyone once in a while, for her part Quinn kept up with Mike (as Tina had said, over Xbox live) Santana and Brittany. To her immense relief, Tina just nodded her head agreeably and tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear smiled and took out a pen, pad and small digital voice recorder. At that point, Quinn's eyes narrowed suspiciously, the last time she had seen these items was when she got busted for beating up Jesse. Looking up, Tina's eyes widened as she took in the pilot's expression and she spoke hastily to reassure her.

"Because of the diaries I mean! It's one hell of a story especially when you made it just in time to claim the reward."

Frowning slightly, Quinn made her way into the kitchen to turn the coffee machine on, personally she preferred tea but she figured coffee was what you offered guests. Belatedly catching onto what Tina had said, she popped her head back round the corner and echoed.

"Reward?"

The reporter nodded and then frowned slightly as she tilted her head to one side curiously; obviously Quinn had no idea what on earth she was talking about. Before she could explain, the coffee machine bleeped and holding up a finger to ask her to hold on a sec, the pilot disappeared into the kitchen again. She emerged a short moment later with a tray that had coffee, condiments and a mug of tea on it, setting it down, she motioned for Tina to help herself and with a slight smile she did so. Quinn hadn't changed much she mused with an inwards smile, still taciturn and distracted but not impolite. Once she had sufficiently sweetened and creamed her coffee, she looked up to where the blonde was sipping her tea gratefully, noticing the scrutiny, Quinn gave a half smile and shrug before speaking.

"Sorry, late night last night and I'm always half asleep until the first mug of tea…so what were you saying about a reward?"

Smiling back to show there was no offence taken, Tina sat back and rifled in her bag while she produced a computer-generated print out of what was obviously an old newspaper article.

"When the Deveraux's daughter was accused and posthumously linked with the bootlegging gangs back in the day, the family offered a reward for information leading to the clearing of their daughter and the family name."

Taking the article with interest, Quinn frowned and pushed her glasses up her nose, quickly reading the article. It was pretty much as Tina had said, the Deveraux's had refused to believe their daughter would have anything to do with criminal enterprises beyond drinking in illegal speakeasy's. They had offered an undisclosed monetary award and an also undisclosed piece of property in the hopes it would tempt someone into coming forward with the real culprits' names. No one did however and so the Deveraux's had died without finding out the truth, the reward however remained claimable for seventy years past their death if anyone succeeded in clearing the family name. Glancing at the date, Quinn nearly choked on her tea and after swallowing her mouthful, placed the mug down and glanced at the reporter with wide eyes.

"That's today's date!"

Unable to resist rolling her eyes at that, Tina grinned and sat back picking up her notepad and pen.

"Exactly, and obviously you had no idea about the reward, sounds to me like someone up there is looking out for you and Rachel."

She hiked her thumb ceiling wards to indicate a higher power and Quinn just smiled faintly as she remembered the slight unspoken conversation that had been going on between Gaby and Millicent, _now _she knew what it was about. Chuckling slightly, the blonde sat back and caught Tina's sparkling brown eyes with her own still slightly stunned hazel ones.

"I guess you're right…and to answer your question I guess I'm shocked as hell. I just picked up some second-hand books cos Rach loves to read but she prefers I pick the books out so they're a surprise for her (that much was true) and in amongst the box were those. I recognised the name Deveraux and remembered the scandal but truth be told I was always more interested in Capone and Dillinger and the like than the social scene."

Flushing slightly in embarrassment, Quinn picked her tea up again and smiled, Tina noted it all down and returned the smile before setting the pad down.

"I was wondering if perhaps it would be okay if I came with you when you go to collect your reward, I mean I let the Deveraux's solicitor know that you were the person who had finally cleared their clients' name and they were highly excited. Apparently their law firm also gets a huge boon from it so you have made a _lot _of people happy with these diaries."

Remembering how relieved and happy Millicent had been to discover her parents would be able to rest in peace now, she let her smile relax into a very natural one and was being one hundred percent honest when she softly replied.

"I'm glad."

Before Tina could say anymore, the door opened and Rachel bustled in with several bags of groceries and a box from Quinn's favourite bakery two doors down. Hazel eyes lighting up happily, the blonde leapt from the sofa and relieved the little diva of the bags before gesturing to Tina. Smiling brightly, Rachel rushed over to hug her old friend and they immediately began questioning each other. Quickly interrupting to ask Tina to explain everything, Quinn excused herself to the kitchen to put the groceries away and wasn't surprised to see Gaby seated on the kitchen counter. Smiling, she eased the door so it was mostly closed and started to put away the groceries as she spoke.

"So…this time limit, isn't it against some sort of moral code for me to be getting something out of this duty of mine?"

Gaby shrugged nonchalantly and took a heady sniff of the bakery box, groaning almost sexually at the smell.

"Strictly speaking there's no rule against it and let's face facts Sherlock, you and Rachel are going to be in for one hell of a ride. I ran it past the higher up's and they said if it worked out that way then it was meant to be…besides I…know how having a baby changes a person and I wanted to help you, even if it was only in this small way. Just promise me those kids will always have the best of everything that you can get them Q?"

Sensing the emotional undertone in her best friend's voice, Quinn turned from putting away some leafy green stuff she just knew Rachel would try and make her eat later. Standing up, she moved without hesitation towards the ghost and for once glad of the fact she could touch her, pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I will, you're still my best friend Watson and I appreciate this. Rachel will too, and it sure as hell means that stress levels will be greatly reduced in regards to how we are going to afford triplets."

Chuckling slightly at the fact that even now Quinn sounded stunned whenever she used the word triplets, Gaby tightened her grip momentarily before lightly shoving the pilot away from her.

"Knock it off and open up that bakery box it smells gorgeous! I may not be able to eat anymore but I can still appreciate the smells."

Accepting that her friend was feeling slightly overwhelmed at the praise, Quinn pulled back with one last squeeze to the red head's hand and with great ceremony, opened up the box. Inside were two of the raspberry jelly donut's she loved but that Rachel rationed considering her cholesterol wasn't ideal. Grinning, the blonde was about to snag one when the door opened and Rachel came in with a bright but dazed grin.

"Did you know…about the reward I mean?"

Fingers resting on the powdery loveliness of her donut, Quinn shook her head and inclined it towards where Gaby was sat.

"No, she never told me but…she hopes it helps us."

There were sudden tears of gratitude in the brown eyes and glancing to where Quinn had indicated, Rachel smiled gratefully.

"Thank you Gabrielle…for helping us, we appreciate it more than you can know."

Coughing in embarrassment the ghost flushed slightly (Quinn had to make a note to ask her how she could do that when she was dead) and making a motion promptly disappeared, the blonde chuckled and turned to Rachel, one hand still resting on the sacred donut.

"I think you embarrassed her, but she say's you're welcome."

Shaking her head slightly, Rachel moved to pick up the coffee pot and then gestured for Quinn to follow her. Whimpering slightly and gesturing to the donut, the pilot tried to look as pathetic as possible, rolling her eyes, the diva sighed indulgently before nodding ever so slightly.

"Fine you can eat one…_only _one! And then come meet us in the lounge so we can arrange a time to go collect our reward…well you'r reward strictly speaking."

She trailed off and Quinn stepped in to reassure her, even removing her hand from the donut to do so.

"Hey, you were right first time gorgeous, _our _reward okay? You, me and the peanut's'."

Smiling back, Rachel stole a quick kiss and nipping Quinn's lower lip as she withdrew, drawled huskily.

"Don't leave me for long Captain."

Watching dazedly as Rachel walked into the living room to refresh Tina's coffee, Quinn shook her head and grinned. Donut's, a mug of tea, a gorgeous girlfriend who was carrying her babies and a 'gift' that made her feel she was actually contributing something to the world…could life get any better?

Several hours later and standing in front of the Deveraux's ten bedroom tax-exempt fully paid off townhouse she re-evaluated just how far her luck could go. Glancing to her left, she was almost amused to see Rachel was just as dumbstruck as her and for once had nothing to say. There was the whir of a lens followed by the click as the moment was captured for prosperity by Tina's cameraman, blinking at the sudden noise in the silence of the long gravel driveway, Quinn shook herself and spoke, secretly pleased she didn't sound like Mickey Mouse anymore as she had when they turned into the driveway.

"So…_this _is the property they left? It's like fully paid off and tax exempt because of it's historical value…how'd that happen."

Rachel looked at her incredulous, that was all she could think to ask, how the house had become tax-exempt! Shrugging in helplessness when she interpreted her girlfriend's surprised look, the pilot turned to Tina, who oblivious to the silent conversation between her two old friends, began to answer.

"Apparently when the Deveraux's decided to settle in Manhattan, they asked their old friends the Lloyd Wright's to help them out."

Rachel and Quinn turned to her sharply and the reporter laughed slightly at the unasked question in their overly wide eyes.

"Okay firstly you guys need to calm down you're beginning to look like you belong in an Anime cartoon! Secondly yes you are right, you did hear me correctly. The house was one of the lesser known ones that Frank designed for his friends; hence it is a place of historic importance and tax exempt. You guys are literally going to be living in a piece of history!"

Quinn looked at Rachel who looked overwhelmed but also happy beyond words, running both hands through her unruly blonde locks, Quinn smiled lopsidedly and joked.

"Great…maybe I can put in a landing pad somewhere and buy a plane?"

At the weak joke, Rachel shook herself and swiped lightly at the pilot's arm before grabbing it tightly and leaning into her.

"Well that's for a helicopter and you can't fly one of those baby, also I doubt we could afford it even living here."

Tina cleared her throat and they both turned around, the reporter smiled slightly and gestured to the bespectacled and nervous looking solicitor who had accompanied them to the property. Quinn frowned again as he looked no more than twenty, so much so she kept thinking they sent the wrong person, Rachel however had discreetly elbowed her in the side when she had said as much before turning to smile reassuringly at the poor guy. This time she kept her mouth shut and let Rachel do the talking to ensure she didn't end up with another bruise on her abdomen!

"Sorry Mr. Prentiss we were just so surprised at the generosity of the Deveraux's gift…you had something else you wanted to say to us?"

Smiling gratefully at the brunette, he delved into the inside pocket of his coat and took out some papers, Quinn rolled her eyes to herself at the way he flushed ever so slightly and resigned herself to yet another person crushing on her girlfriend.

"Yes, the account the Deveraux's left in our care was originally opened with a one hundred thousand dollar balance…with interest the current value of the account, which is the second part of your reward by the way, stands at…"

Three faces stared at him this time as Tina was just as stunned by the starting amount let alone the interest it may have accrued, unaware of the anticipation, the young solicitor fumbled slightly as he flipped through the pages before his face cleared and he smiled at finding the right amount.

"…eight hundred and fifty six thousand dollars and 94 cents…unless you include the house which is worth over three million both for it's size, location and of course historical importance."

He smiled widely, pleased at being able to impart such good news, his smile faltered however when he saw only two very wide open mouthed shocked faces in front of him. Turning to Tina for help, she was a reporter after all so she would be used to stories like this, only to find her mirroring the posture of her two friends. Rachel was the first to recover, her voice shaky but audible as she kept one hand tightly gripped in her girlfriend's.

"So…the house is ours and the…and the money because Quinn cleared the Deveraux's name? It's as simple as that, no hidden catches?"

Mr. Prentiss pushed his glasses up his nose and shook his head with a fond smile at the rising star of Broadway (he recognised her from the production of My Fair Lady he had seen and knew a star when he saw one) before handing the papers to Quinn.

"No catches no, your girlfriend did the family a great service and redeemed them historically not just as a family but as one of the most important and influential families New York has ever had. This is the least you guys deserve, all that needs to be done is to get the papers signed and then it's all yours…well, barring an appointment at the bank Monday morning to hand over the account that is."

It was at that point Rachel did what she had wanted to do since hearing the news, whooping loudly, she pushed Quinn up against the wall of the house (inadvertently sending the papers flying which Prentiss duly gathered up again) and peppered her with kisses and vows of love. Tina actually blushed at some of the things she heard and _she _had known these two in their teenaged loved up days! Quinn started giggling when the kisses moved towards the ticklish sensitive spot on her neck, pushing slightly so she could see the overwhelmed expression in brown eyes.

"Whoa, calm down Cheerio, remember we got an audience okay…and we have a _lot _to sort out before we settle into what I guess is our forever home. I still half think something is gonna go wrong though and I won't rest until we're actually moved in and the account is in our names."

Frowning slightly, Rachel glanced at her.

"Our account?"

Shrugging slightly and trying not to flush, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck before murmuring.

"Well yeah I mean…what's mine is yours and vice versa right? Well, except donut's that is."

Smiling crookedly, the pilot then panicked slightly as Rachel burst into tears and started wailing something even she couldn't work out. Prentiss handed her the papers and ran, obviously not knowing how to deal with hormonal pregnant diva's, the only reason Quinn knew it wasn't a bad sort of crying was the fact that Rachel was still hanging on to her tightly. She glanced at Tina who just shrugged slightly and shook her head; the reporter mimed phoning her and then took her leave of them. She could see a potentially private moment coming up and didn't want to be the one to get stuck in the middle of it.

Running a hand soothingly across the diva's back, Quinn carefully manoeuvred them until they were seated on one of the many benches that lined the outside of the grand house. She couldn't yet think of it as their house even though technically, somehow, it was. Waiting until Rachel's sniffles had died down to the occasional hiccup, Quinn then pulled away far enough to look her in the eye with a half smile.

"Is it safe for me to ask you what that was about or will you cry at me again…cos this shirt is getting pretty waterlogged Rach."

Giggling mutedly from her crying fit, the brunette wiped her eyes on a tissue that Quinn produced from a pocket of her father's old flying jacket with a smile. Once she was cleaned up, she looked at the house in awe and then back at the smirking blonde.

"I just…this is almost too much Quinn, but I guess it means we can maybe help others right?"

Smiling wider at the timid question, the pilot leant down far enough to kiss the creased forehead and nodded.

"Of course baby, like you said, being blessed with this is one thing but if we have the power to help others then why wouldn't we? I mean I guess that's something that means even more to me since the emergence of this power, this gift."

She ran her hand soothingly through the diva's hair as she spoke and they both sank into a comfortable silence as they looked at the house…wait, as they looked at their house. This wasn't some amazing untouchable historical building it was actually theirs, a house within which to raise their kids. Smiling softly, Quinn was almost sleepy as she let her cheek rest lightly on top of the diva's head, until Rachel broke the peace as she sat up suddenly.

"We need a party, to celebrate! To officially announce the pregnancy, celebrate your first job completed and the house and…god there's just so much, the least of which is what you did for the Deveraux's."

Flushing red again, Quinn ducked her head and gave a half shrug as she allowed Rachel to pull her to her feet excitedly. The only thing she really heard was that as soon as the account was signed over to her and the papers for the house finalised then the party was definitely on. Well, that and of course the bit about having Brittany and Santana over as soon as possible to celebrate. Sure enough two days later the papers were finalised, the movers had been arranged and everyone informed (to varying degrees of excitement, Quinn's ears were still recovering from the shrieks both set's of parents had emitted) and Rachel was back at the flat packing boxes with Brittany while Quinn and Santana had gone to the restaurant to pick up the Chinese and were currently seated at the bar with a beer waiting for the order.

"So…you and the dwarf are like millionaires now?"

After voicing the mild question Santana tipped her bottle of Coors upwards to drain it, thankful that she could always rely on the Latina to 'keep it real' Quinn shrugged slightly and took another sip of her soda water.

"Technically yeah…it's kinda weird but mostly the house is what makes us rich, it's not like I can give up work or anything…though I _can _take a decent amount of time out when the kids arrive."

Tilting her head slightly, the Latina nodded and gestured for another beer, once it arrived she turned and regarded the pilot carefully.

"Just promise me you won't turn into one of those new money assholes Fabray, cos I really couldn't bring myself to be anywhere around you if that happened."

Smiling in pure relief that at least one of her friends had remained level-headed over this whole thing, Quinn formed a fist and raised it, waiting patiently until Santana smirked back and bumped it.

"No worries San, that happens and I'll let you _actually _get a hit in on me at our next bout."

Snorting inelegantly, the Latina took a long grateful mouthful of the cold beer that made Quinn wish she could do the same. She quickly took a few gulps of the soda water and watched Santana watch her side ways on before she set the bottle down again.

"Even if I were allowed to get in the ring with you anymore, you know damned well I'm more than capable of landing a hit on you without you having to allow me to do so."

Shaking her head, the blonde's glass was halfway to her lips when she paused and turned to her friend with a slight frown.

"What do you mean '_if' _you were allowed to get in the ring?"

Cursing under her breath, Santana wished like hell their order would turn up before she said anything else to get herself in trouble. Heaving a sigh, she took one more mouthful of beer and set the bottle down carefully.

"Look don't freak out okay Fabray…Rachel spoke to Brittany, who in turn spoke to me and the up shot is…I promised her I would stop boxing with you."

Not sure exactly what she was feeling at that admission, the pilot heaved a sigh of her own and turned on her barstool to face the Latina who looked completely unrepentant.

"San…come on that's like my last outlet for stress and we had some good bouts lined up this year! Rachel will get used to the idea after a while…"

She trailed off weakly cringing internally as her mind started to say what Santana vocalised loudly in front of her there and then.

"Bullshit Quinn, she'd had like five years, nearly six to get used to it and she never has! Even when you won that charity bout for her she didn't talk to you for like a week, and while I am the biggest and most bad badass in this freaking city even I don't want to piss off a hormonal pregnant woman…and if you want to keep your balls you won't either."

She glanced meaningfully at what she had started referring to as Fabray's cannon which had made it's monthly appearance yesterday. Trying her best not to sulk, the blonde slumped on her stool sinking her chin into her hand.

"Fine…no boxing, can we at least find something else to do that exhausts us and get's rid of tension then?"

Santana choked on her beer and glared at Quinn who belatedly realised exactly how the Latina would take that sentence.

"Gross! I meant in a sports way not any other way, no offence but while you're my best friend (alive anyway she amended to herself) there is no way you and I would ever…I mean…gross."

Narrowing her eyes, Santana picked up their order that had just arrived and dropped a twenty on the bar for the drinks.

"I get it Fabray…you can't handle someone like me, no sweat that's why I got my Brit-Brit."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn took one of the bags from the Latina's hands and they pushed their way out of the restaurant.

"Just work on something else we can do that Rachel won't freak out about and that you can persuade Brittany to agree to…if not for my sanity then for the safety and continued well being of your poor abused car."

Glaring, the Latina's brown eyes narrowed.

"Aw hell no Fabray! You don't mess with a detective's ride, especially the best detective the 14th precinct has. Just remember who got you that job fly girl!"

Smirking, Quinn typed in her entry code for one of the last times and they started their way up to the apartment. The pilot abruptly stopped when she realised belatedly she had wanted to talk to Santana about something and had let the confession about there being no more boxing distract her.

"Shit there was something I needed your help with San, something real important!"

Raising a dark eyebrow suspiciously, Santana fished a prawn cracker out of the bag Quinn held and motioned for her to carry on. Running her free hand through her hair, the blonde bit her lip for a moment and then leaning forward whispered what she wanted on the off chance that Rachel and her super hearing might hear. She pulled away and Santana's brown eyes widened as she stepped back and shook her head emphatically.

"Not a freaking chance Fabray! If you do it wrong the dwarf will roast me alive, I am not taking on that responsibility, why would you even ask me that!"

Waving her arms wildly to try and quiet the emphatic Latina, Quinn spoke hurriedly.

"Geez keep it down would you San! The reason I'm asking is because you're her best friend and this is important to her, I don't want to screw it up. Would you just man up and help me already!"

She clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as the words were out, half expecting a fist to the jaw but to her surprise Santana burst into laughter and Quinn found herself scrambling forward to slap a hand over the Latina's mouth and try and keep her quiet. After several moments of amusement, Santana took the hand off of her mouth and rolled her eyes again.

"Sorry, it's just that _you _telling me to man up with that cannon between your legs is so ironic even I can't fail to see the humour…you do realise you're doing this all the wrong way around though right. I mean talk about closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, in this case the horse bolted, won several championships, retired to stud and is currently feeding several hundred dogs."

Swearing under her breath, Quinn nodded reluctantly.

"I know…_believe _me I know, but none of this is going the way I planned initially and yeah things are happening a bit widdershins but I would want this either way…I just need to get it right."

Shaking her head, Santana sighed.

"I have no idea why I listen to you Fabray but fine…I'll help you with this, but if it hit's the fan I was _nothing _to do with it and nowhere near you!"

Nodding eagerly, the pilot thumped her friend lightly on the shoulder as they started their walk back up the stairs to the fifth floor, Santana smirked and added.

"And did you seriously just use the word widdershins? I mean when did you turn _eighty_?"

Flushing, Quinn cursed herself yet again for allowing Rachel to talk her into watching all those English costume drama's with her. Growling warningly at her friend, she led the way to the apartment door and raised an imposing eyebrow (even to 'tough as nails' Santana Lopez).

"Shut it Lopez, it's Rachel's fault, she had a Dickensian marathon and made me watch with her, that guy had some seriously weird ideas when it came to names and the English language."

Deciding to let it slide, Santana merely followed her friend into the flat, after all if what the pilot had planned for the welcoming party went off without a hitch then she was going to need all the support she could get in the coming weeks…and more importantly there would definitely be many more opportunities to tease her!

The next two days went by in a blur, in an attempt to retain some kind of normality Quinn had seen to the legal paperwork, the moving and the press while _still _working at the police station…although she did cancel the flying work she had for the weekend as that would have been too much, plus Rachel said if she wasn't there to help with the move then she would remove her co pilot. Quinn was fairly sure it was just the hormones talking but even so she didn't feel like risking parts of her anatomy on the off chance she was wrong! However, despite that minor disagreement between the pair and thanks to Brittany, Kurt and Blaine all turning up to help them move in properly, things went off without a hitch. That meant that come Saturday evening, the house was filled with warmth, light and laughter. It wasn't the huge party that Rachel had wanted but as Quinn pointed out, it probably wouldn't do the babies any good if Rachel got stressed over a party. Both set's of parent's were there along with Santana, Kurt, Blaine and Brittany, currently, Rachel was sipping some of the elderflower cordial that she had become immensely fond of while she led their guests back into the main sitting room after giving them a brief tour of the ground floor. She frowned slightly when she noticed that both Quinn and Santana were absent from the group and she opened her mouth to call to them when Brittany signalled for her.

"Rach, when will we get to see where the babies are going to sleep!"

Hiram and Leroy both let out an excited little squeak at that and Rachel rolled her eyes fondly, she glanced over to Judy and Steve who were leaning on each other lovingly, when she caught Judy's eyes she signed questioningly.

_Have you seen Quinn anywhere?_

Shaking her head in the negative, the blonde's mother turned and mumbled the same question to Steve who also shook his head and they both looked around puzzled. It was well known that Quinn wasn't a fan of parties but this one was a little different. Before anyone could say anything else however, their attention turned as one towards where Quinn walked out from the dining room followed by a slightly reluctant Santana. The pilot had a guitar slung round her shoulders and was rubbing the back of her neck nervously, pausing in front of the little group Quinn cleared her throat.

"Okay…well first of all Rach and I are glad you all came tonight to share in this, I mean we still can't quite believe it ourselves so at least when we forget we actually live here you can remind us!"

She grinned at her girlfriend who smiled back lovingly, looking down shyly, Quinn swallowed down her nerves and taking a steadying breath, she straightened up and looked around their guests shyly for a moment.

"But there's another reason we…or at least _I _wanted you all here for this evening. Mom, you and Steve have been with me through all my crazy sh…uh, stuff, Mr. and Mr. B, well you know how crazy things get with me and Rach and you _still _welcomed me into your family and didn't kill me when you found out I got Rachel pregnant."

She paused and waited as the parental unit's laughed at that, Hiram nodding agreeably at the part about the craziness that his daughter and her girlfriend seemed to attract. After that, she glanced at their friends one by one starting with Santana who was stood just behind her still, the Latina rolled her eyes and just waved her hand forward to tell her to get a move on.

"And you guys, San, Brit, Kurt and Blaine…well, _you _have the dubious pleasure of being our closest friends, and so I wanted you all here to support us, well…to support me if it goes wrong and both of us if it goes right so…I'm just gonna go ahead and do it before I confuse everyone."

Clearing her throat, the blonde frowned in concentration for a long moment before beginning to pluck the guitar, after a few instrumental bars, she began to sing in that faintly husky voice of hers that Rachel secretly loved. For now the rest of them smiled pleasantly but remained slightly confused as to what was going on, all except Santana who began to sing the harmonising lines in the background. Rachel tilted her head to one side as she didn't recognise the tune, when the lyrics started however that was the furthest thing from her mind.

_Maybe it's intuition. _

_But some things you just don't question._

_Like in your eyes._

_I see my future in an instant._

_And there it goes._

_I think I've found my best friend._

_I know that it might sound more thana little crazy but I believe…_

Pausing for a moment before she launched into the chorus, Quinn looked up and caught Rachel's eyes. The chorus was the main reason she had chosen this particular song and she wanted the brunette to believe her, to listen to the words and hold them close to her heart. Breathing in, she made sure to lock eyes with the woman she loved and had on some level always loved as she sang.

_I knew I loved you before I met you._

_I think I dreamed you into life._

_I knew I loved you before I met you._

_I have been waiting all my life…_

Seeing the tears in Rachel's brown eyes, Quinn walked forwards and in the few bars of music before the next verse started up, she leant over and kissed her softly on the cheek, for once Santana didn't make a gagging noise, she did however roll her eyes even as she managed to keep the harmonising in tune.

_There's just no rhyme or reason._

_Only this sense of completion._

_And in your eyes._

_I see the missing pieces._

_I'm searching for._

_I think I found my way home._

_I know that it might sound more than._

_A little crazy but I believe…_

Trying desperately to ignore the sniffling she could hear from her mom, and both of Rachel's dad's, the blonde ducked her head for a moment and managed to wipe her own eyes on her shoulder before launching into the last chorus. Although she would deny it if questioned even Santana had her fingers crossed behind her back that this would go well for the pilot. Quinn sang the last of the chorus and as Santana held the last harmonising notes the blonde sank to one knee and sang the last two lines of the song without the guitar to accompany her as she swung it smoothly round to her back.

_A thousand angels dance around you._

_I am complete now that I found you._

As the last word died on her lips and Santana ended the harmony, a round of applause burst out for the song and Rachel opened her mouth to ask why Quinn felt the need to serenade her after all these years together. Smiling nervously, the blonde held up a finger and fishing around in her pocket pulled out the small velvet bag she had unearthed with the diaries the night of her B&E adventure. She had actually forgotten about it until it fell out of her jacket pocket the night they found out about the reward. When she discovered what the bag held, she took it as yet another sign to do what she had been thinking about for a long time now and had formulated the plan she subsequently dragged Santana into. Pulling the ring out of the bag, she tried to ignore the round of gasps and excited squeals as she found and stared deep into Rachel's eyes.

"I've wanted to do this for a while now but the time never seemed right and I know that it seems odd asking _after _we found about the peanut's but…if there's one thing I know in this world it's that I love you Rachel Barbra Berry and always will. And if you feel up to the challenge then I would be the happiest woman in the cosmos if you agreed to marry me_?"_

Kurt actually honest to goodness swooned at the proposal and Blaine even had to reach up and wipe away a tear, Santana had her fingers crossed so tightly she was worried they would break and Brittany was bouncing up and down excitedly, reminding them all of the time she had drunk twelve Mountain Dew's in one day. Rachel sank down to one knee as well and held up one hand, her left hand they all noted happily, invitingly. Not sure if she was about to burst into tears or laughter Quinn bit her lip and tried to get her hands to stop shaking long enough to place the ring on the engagement finger. As soon as she had seen what was in the small velvet bag she knew why she had found it, it was a platinum band with a white gold star setting filled with a line of diamonds all around the edge of the star itself. In the middle nestled an emerald that reminded Quinn a little of her own eyes on certain days, she slid it onto Rachel's hand and as she had half expected it fit perfectly. A millisecond later, she was knocked flat on the floor by her enthusiastic fiancée who then proceeded to smother her in kisses before finally settling on her mouth. After a while it became clear that Rachel had forgotten where exactly they were, or to be more accurate who was with them and Judy (whose eyes were closed tightly in an effort to not see what exactly Rachel's hands were caressing) called out clearly.

"While I'm sure we all wish you congratulations, I'm also sure that you don't want us to see exactly _how _you plan to celebrate?"

Flushing a bright red, Rachel hurried to her feet and waved a hand around in apologetic amazement, stammering, she found herself engulfed by Kurt and Brittany while Santana leant down to offer Quinn a hand up. The blonde was smiling in dazed bliss and even her friends laughter couldn't dampen it.

"Yo Fabray…you might want to do something about your cannon, it's ready to fire."

Frowning for a moment, the blonde belatedly became aware of how happy her co pilot had gotten at Rachel's effusive thanks and she clapped both hands down over it before sidling over towards the small table flushed bright red. Narrowing her eyes at the cackling Latina, Quinn was relieved when Blaine walked over with a sympathetic smile and clapped her on the back.

"Happens to the best of us Quinn, try thinking about Finn naked…always works for me, just one thought of those custard filled nipples and I wilt like no one's business."

The visual his words brought about made the blonde grimace…but also had the desired effect and she smiled gratefully before hugging him back.

"Thanks Blaine…I'm so glad that went well, I was dreading her saying no or telling me it wasn't romantic enough or something, I almost backed out until Santana gave me the push I needed."

The budding actor raised an eyebrow speculatively and glanced to where Santana was now standing next to Brittany and smiling affectionately.

"Lopez actually gave a pep talk? I'm surprised!"

Snorting with amusement, Quinn and Blaine moved towards the others as she shook her head.

"No, when I said push I meant push…as in she literally shoved me towards the door and threatened to go all Lima Heights on my ass if I didn't get my shit together."

Laughing, Blaine nodded in agreement.

"Now _that _I do believe!"

They both smirked and avoided the Latina's suspicious smirk as they headed towards the little group. Immediately, she was engulfed with hugs from Kurt and Brittany who cooed and fussed over her for a long moment before allowing Judy to pull her daughter into a hug and kiss her temple fondly.

"Bout time you guys tied the knot, after all it's not like we haven't all been expecting it since the morning you first…um _confirmed _your relationship."

Wincing in embarrassment as she remembered that particular morning and her mother's long lecture on birth control, Quinn just nodded and winked at Steve who nodded approvingly.

"Yeah well, I had to wait for just the right moment mom, you can't rush these things after all."

Leroy ambled up and wiping a tear of joy from the corner of his eye edged up to Quinn and pulled her into an almost smothering hug, so much so that Quinn had to bang him on the back and gesticulate frantically until he loosened his grip long enough to allow her to breathe in a deep lungful of air gratefully. Smiling sheepishly at his over exuberance, he placed a sloppy kiss on the crown of her head and squeezed her one last time.

"Just…continue to be you Quinn, you are the person that Rachel fell head over heels for and if I'm honest, both Hiram and I can't think of a better person to spend their lives with our little princess."

Rachel flushed bright red and swiped at his arm shyly.

"Oh hush daddy! And that isn't what you said when we accidentally ate your engagement meal that time."

Hiram barked a sharp laugh at the incident that he could now see the humour in, Leroy and Quinn however let out stereo groans of mortification and covered their faces, the blonde growled at Rachel playfully.

"Rach did you have to mention that again, I only just managed to erase the worst of it from my memory!"

Snorting, Leroy raised his head long enough to peer at her in disbelief.

"_Your _memory! Try living in my head for a while, every time I walk into our dining room I can still see your pasty white ass!"

They both cringed again and Santana grinned wickedly, pausing to wink at the two boys, she cleared her throat before addressing Hiram.

"Well I for one would _love _to hear this story!"

The chorus of approving roars out did the groans of embarrassment and both Rachel and Quinn led the way into the sitting room and sank into a sofa hiding in each other's shoulder's. Several hours later, after numerous glasses of wine, cordial and soda had been consumed along with a huge selection of pizza's from Rachel's favourite vegan take away, people eventually began to leave. Santana and Brittany were the last two to go, the blonde having to hold the Latina up as Santana had decided to enjoy her first weekend off in over a month by getting blitzed. Quinn had to smirk at the thought of the lecture her friend would receive the next day as Brit looked far from impressed as she walked her giggling girlfriend out of their friends' house warming. Once the door closed, Quinn sank back against it with a weary smile, Rachel moved in to hug her nuzzling against the blonde's neck.

"That was a fun night…full of surprises! A little hint that you at least had an announcement planned would have been nice you know Froot Loop!"

Smirking, Quinn shrugged a shoulder then wrapped her arms around the diva's waist.

"Nuh uh, because if you had a hint then you would have kept digging and digging until I eventually caved in and told you and I wanted it to be special…you kinda deserve at least that baby and I hope that it was at least a little special for you?"

Eskimo kissing the pilot, Rachel let out a gentle laugh and stepped back far enough to peer at her closely, ensuring she got her message across as Quinn could be incredibly stubborn about some things.

"Listen up Fabray…as much as I like romantic gestures and being made a fuss of, you could have chosen to propose to me after we had finished another dirty sex marathon and I would _still _have said yes. You don't have to do these things to make me feel special you doofus because I feel that way every day when I wake up next to you. Having said that you did indeed make it something very special, _and _something that I definitely won't be embarrassed to tell the peanuts about when they ask us in the years to come."

Smiling happily, Quinn nodded and tilting her head just that inch height difference between them proceeded with kissing Rachel thoroughly, just to remind her how much she did in fact deserve 'special'. The kiss quickly grew heated and the diva pulled away long enough to bestow a heavy lidded look to the panting blonde, raising a dark eyebrow she backed up until they were only connected by one hand. At that point, she turned and began to drag a far from unwilling Quinn upstairs to start christening the first of the ten bedrooms they now had.

_Okay one more fun and slightly goofy chapter of GLF for you! In case you hadn't noticed it's been the light__-__hearted ones I have been updating first at the moment. RBR will get it__'__s update have no fear lol but there's just so much angst in Faberry world right now I feel it my duty to provide the mush and the laughter…or at least tried to, in fact I felt so inspired I even gave you guys more smut and you know how I hate writing smut, you only got one bit however I left the girls to start christening their rooms but if I'm still feeling generous then I may start the next chapter that way…if you're all good that is! Anyway here you go I hope you enjoy and I will now move on to the slightly more serious update for RBR. Remember to let me know if there's anything you want or feel should be included, and don't worry the next chapter includes more ghost helping, more action in general and the second scan showing what gender the peanuts are! Until next time stay cool and sexy xxx_

_P.S the song is by Savage Garden in case you didn't know!_


	6. Chapter 6

Quinn was drowsing, or trying to drowse anyway, it was difficult when her girlfriend, _no _fiancée now! Was playing with her…um, well, playing with _her_. Clearing her throat and cracking one eye open, she was met with Rachel's devilish smirk, the one she only ever used on Quinn and only ever in the bedroom. Rolling her own tired hazel ones, the blonde pilot stretched on the rough carpet with a wince before commenting.

"You aren't tired yet? I mean…Rae, seriously we're in room number what? Six, and you're still eager?"

Smirk widening, Rachel arched her back cat like as she stretched, making sure Quinn got an eyeful of what was on offer. Almost against the wishes of the rest of her aching muscles, she felt her co pilot stir to attention, with a raised eyebrow Rachel murmured huskily.

"Looks like I'm not the _only _one up for round seven?"

Groaning with a mix of irritation and arousal, the pilot nonetheless felt herself reacting to Rachel's touch, blowing out a shallow breath she couldn't help but grin.

"This is so not fair…you aren't the one with severe carpet burn on your elbows, and knees…and ass actually!"

Smiling innocently, Rachel shrugged but refused to stop the massaging motion she was using to it's full advantage on Quinn's cock.

"It's hardly my fault you prefer it when I top you is it?"

Cheeks flaming slightly, Quinn ran a hand down her face and mumbled out a weak retort.

"Yeah well…I just don't want you to risk hurting yourself or the peanuts, you know what position I prefer."

Finally letting go of the pilot's now very alert penis, Rachel rose to her feet and placed her hands on her hips, head tilted thoughtfully to one side as she regarded the mildly flustered blonde at her feet. It amused her that even after all these years together and all the very many things they had experimented with, Quinn _still _felt embarrassed about being naked in front of her. Well, perhaps it was time to appeal to the slightly more masculine side of her shy lover. Smiling internally, she walked backwards until she felt the cool smoothness of the bedroom wall at her back; sighing loudly (louder than was warranted really) the actress stretched her arms out to the side and then turned so she could rest her forehead on the chilled wall. Mentally, she congratulated herself when she heard a very loud swallow from Quinn's direction, pressing her hands flat to the surface of the wall, she arched her back in a stretch and heard the sound of someone scrambling to stand up. If pushed she might admit that manoeuvring into Quinn's favourite position and all but presenting herself was an underhanded move…not one she regretted however and her eyes slid closed as she felt the warmth radiating from the blonde's body as she moved up behind her.

"You…are one hell of a tease Rachel Berry."

Quinn's voice was thick with arousal as she slid her hands onto the brunette diva's hips and pulled her close, inhaling deeply the slightly salty scent of Rachel's sweat mixed with the last remnants of her perfume. Letting her head fall back until it was resting on the blonde's shoulder, Rachel bit her lower lip as she felt the tip of Quinn's co pilot brush between her ass cheeks.

"No I'm not, a tease wouldn't let you do what I know you want to do, and a tease wouldn't love you as much as I do…you big dork."

The pilot couldn't help but chuckle at the last three words and nuzzling her nose along the brunette's jaw line she sighed.

"That is _not _the way to talk dirty Cheerio…and I'm only a dork for you, even if you are trying to kill me with sex."

A dark eyebrow arched sharply and removing one hand from her braced position against the wall, Rachel reached back and managed to cup Quinn's balls tightly enough to cause anther swallow.

"Oh please…are you telling me that NYU's record breaking runner can't keep _up _with little old me?"

There was a faint tone of fond mocking in the diva's voice because she knew more than anything that a supposed slur on the pilot's fitness would get a rise (inwardly she smirked at that phrase) out of the hot headed blonde. Sure enough she felt Quinn still for a moment before the hands on her hip pulled her back and closer to the very alert cock now nestled between her ass cheeks, Rachel couldn't help the moan that ripped from her throat and the one hand still on the wall scrabbled futilely for purchase. Reaching down, Quinn moved Rachel's other hand until it was also back against the wall, with that done she ducked her head down to nibble, suck and bite at the already tender skin of the diva's neck. Every gasp and cry she managed to wrench from the little brunette in front of her just fed the flames of the already burning fire they both felt and soon enough Rachel could feel her thighs slick with desire for what Quinn was denying her. She knew what the pilot wanted but a part of Rachel was even more stubborn than her partner and she was literally biting her lip to stop herself from begging.

"Come on Rach…if you want it, you have to tell me you want it, that you want _this_."

With the last word, she took hold of herself and allowed the very tip of her cock to nudge against the diva's swollen lips, biting back her own groan as she felt herself brush across the brunette's clit. It was worth it when she felt Rachel's whole body shudder with anticipation against her, not even attempting to stop the smug grin she leant further into the woman she loved and sing-songed.

"I _want _you to have it…but you gotta tell me Rach, you gotta _tell _me."

As much as the little brunette did not want to give into her lover, she wasn't sure how much longer she could deny herself what she wanted, clutching futilely at the smooth wall in front of her, she blew out a long calming breath…right up until Quinn bumped the tip of her cock across her clit again. Letting out an almost vicious snarl of need, the diva let her forehead drop forward to rest on the wall between her spread hands and groaned out.

"Goddamn it Quinn, I need you to fuck me and I need you to do it _now_! Stop teasing me Fabray, stick your cock inside me and fuck me until I lose consciousness, is that clear!"

Rachel Berry swearing was always one of the best aphrodisiacs that could be used on one Quinn Fabray and the blonde felt her spine stiffen in acknowledgement of the order even as she melted a little inside. She smirked internally when her cock also twitched at the growled tones of her lover, all pretence of teasing and soft touches flew out the window as Quinn did what Rachel ordered her to. One hand gripped Rachel by the back of the neck, not hard enough to hurt but far from gentle, the other one she used to guide herself into the diva in one sharp motion. As soon as she felt her fiancée's wall's grip tightly around her length, she allowed the groan she had been holding in to tear loose from her throat, Rachel unconsciously echoed it as the sensation of Quinn's unsheathed cock inside of her was something she was finding she revelled in. Admittedly, children had not been part of their plan, at least not this early into the relationship, but with _this _as one of the unlooked for benefit's, the diva had to admit it was growing difficult to see the disadvantages of the way things had worked out.

Although she had been exhausted ten minutes ago, the sensations Rachel had worked up inside of her had provided a very energetic second wind and using the hand on the diva's neck as an anchor, the pilot began to piston her hips rapidly, loving the faint keening noise that Rachel let loose. Letting her other hand fall to rest on the diva's hip, she pulled her back and onto her cock with every thrust, she just hoped to god she could last because in this position, with a cursing Rachel panting obscenities between groans, she wasn't sure it was going to take long for her to lose it. Luckily for the pilot, Rachel was just as close to the edge after the prolonged teasing and sooner rather than later, Quinn felt the wet warmth of her lover gripping tighter and tighter around her, as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm she let the hand resting on Rachel's hip move downwards to brush across the clit that had been crying out for attention. As soon as her finger tips brushed over the slippery engorged nub, Rachel yelled out and started to convulse as her own climax ripped through her. Quinn gratefully stopped holding off her own and with a few final powerful thrusts, shuddered as she released inside of the woman she loved. Both were panting breathlessly and as soon as she could move, even a little bit, the blonde withdrew from Rachel and guided them both gently down to the floor with a faint chuckle. The brunette half-heartedly swatted at Quinn's bare stomach and narrowed sleepy eyes.

"What are you tittering at Fabray?"

Smiling happily, Quinn just pulled the diva closer to her and kissing the invitingly bare shoulder blade in front of her just shrugged slightly.

"I was just thinking what everyday diva Rachel would say if she heard the sort of things that came out of horny Rachel's mouth."

She trailed off with more giggles until she saw the brunette's smirk and raised eyebrow, at which point Rachel stretched happily again then riposted.

"Probably the same thing shy bumbling Quinn would say if she heard in control and loving it Quinn?"

Narrowing her eyes in mock annoyance, the pilot subsided with a small sigh.

"Touché Berry…touché!"

Giggling happily, Rachel wrapped her arms around the blonde pilot, kissing her hot skin that was rapidly cooling in the open atmosphere of the all but empty bedroom.

"Now we've established that we are both far more vocal with each other in the bedroom, how about we go find our _actual _one, the one that has the bed in it…because as much as I love snuggling up to you like this, I'd rather do it under a duvet somewhere now we're taking an official break from christening duties."

Groaning slightly, Quinn raised an elegant blonde eyebrow.

"Taking a _break_? We only have three bedrooms left and as one of them will serve as the nursery until the peanuts need separate bedrooms I say we don't do it in those rooms. There's just something about having sex in the rooms that they're going to be sleeping in that creeps me out!"

After thinking it over for a moment, Rachel shuddered and nodded rapidly in agreement, after a moment, Quinn managed to stand on shaky feet then offered a hand to help the diva stand. Accepting the help gratefully, she was surprised when she caught a genuinely awe-inspired smile on the blonde's face, arching an eyebrow she caught the shining hazel eyes with her own curious brown ones.

"Care to share with the class there hot shot?"

Flushing slightly, Quinn chewed on her lip as she debated whether or not to mention what had made her smile. On the one hand it was amazing to her and she wanted to show Rachel exactly how happy it made her but…all the pregnancy books said not to mention bodily changes until your partner mentioned it themselves. Rachel had no idea what was going on in her lover's mind, just that if she chewed on her lip with any more concentration she was going to swallow it. Smiling softly, she reached out to touch a finger to the blondes mouth and spoke gently.

"Come on…spill it before your brain implodes from the stress, judging from the shine in your eyes when you smiled it wasn't a _bad _thing…so come on, tell me?"

Debating for a second longer, the pilot sighed slightly and reaching out, lay the palm of her hand over the diva's stomach before admitting.

"I can see them now, our children, it's only a little bit and I didn't want you to get self conscious and think I was saying you were fat or anything. Because it's _beautiful_, the way that the lives we created out of love are starting to grow inside you…see?"

Hoping she had done the right thing, she gently rubbed her hand over the noticeable swell of Rachel's stomach. To her immense relief, Rachel's eyes also lit up as she looked down and seemed to truly notice for the first time the home her body was creating for their children.

"I…don't think I consciously noticed but, wow…you're right it is beautiful."

Her tone was almost whisper quiet as she looked down at herself with a certain amount of awe. It was one thing to read all the literature and know on an intellectual level that your body would go through changes and what they were…but seeing and feeling them were an entirely new experience altogether. She placed her own hand over the top of Quinn's and smiled softly as her fingers threaded through the blonde's and they continued to stroke over their children's home.

"You're making a safe house for our kids to grow ready in baby, that's the most wonderful thing a person can do…_you're _wonderful, and I promise I will be when the time comes, I might be a bit all over the place now but I can be a good mom, uh…dad? Crap, what will I be actually?"

Laughing heartily at the final and complete disappearance of horny Quinn to be replaced with dorky Quinn, the Diva wrapped her arms around the pilot's neck and pulled her into a gentle loving kiss.

"You will be a parent, a normal every day parent, that just like me, won't always get it right but will without a doubt always love and do their best for their children…so stop worrying, take me to bed to snuggle and order me some pizza in, I'm _hungry _woman!"

Smirking, Quinn snapped off a sloppy salute in response to the command and then with a wicked gleam in her eyes swept the brunette into her arms bridal style.

"As her majesty wishes!"

Slapping at Quinn's arms lightly, Rachel giggled then hooked her own arms round the pilot's neck.

"If you drop me Fabray…!"

Eyes softening imperceptibly, Quinn craned her head downwards to kiss the already swollen lips of the woman in her arms.

"I love you, I'd rather poke my eye out than drop you, even if you _are _a little demanding sometimes."

Ignoring the outraged squawk, Quinn just smirked and walked them easily back to the main bedroom, one of the _only _rooms that was fully furnished. After pizza had been consumed, the two set about planning how to decorate the rest of the house and when, Rachel only had a handful of productions left and then she was back to looking for work while Quinn was fully booked on weekends with flights. In the end it was decided that when the blonde couldn't join her she would trust Kurt and Blaine and both set's of parents to decorate…but _not _Santana! And so began days of paint schemes, wallpaper patterns, flooring samples and furniture catalogues. Quinn for her part was busy at the garage during the days and flying at the weekends, as well as keeping one eye open for when her next 'detective job' would come in. As usual however she had no way of predicting it and had to just trust that this time Gaby wouldn't cause her to drop something on her toe, or worse, when she did finally make her appearance.

The one thing she had insisted on in the new house was an office space, she figured if she was going to be doing this spirit guiding thing on a permanent basis then she would need her own space. Somewhere she could go over her 'cases' and keep notes and information relevant to them, her mom had agreed and started to bring over the diaries and papers from her attic. Neither her nor Rachel would allow Quinn to see the plans they had put together for her office however, and with a vague sense of suspicion the pilot had decided to just let them get on with it. Technically she didn't need to work as much as she was, especially now that they had a rather hefty joint bank balance, Quinn however had already made the commitment to the shifts and didn't want to let anyone down (plus if she were honest, decorating had never been her thing so aside from colour choices she was happy to leave it to Rachel and the boys who were in their element).

It was a Saturday afternoon when she got her next case and yet again Gaby appeared out of nowhere, though this time Quinn's strict training meant she didn't react in a way that resulted in any kind of bodily harm. It had been a beautiful day and the sun was still shining as Quinn turned the piper cub back towards the airfield, this weekend's skydivers had been novices and the talk going up had been nervous and full of trepidation. Consequently, the blonde pilot had flown seamlessly and reigned in her usual showmanship that the more experienced divers encouraged her to show off. Now however, with the plane empty of anyone but herself and the sun low enough that with the aid of her aviators vision wasn't compromised, Quinn grinned happily to herself and started to climb a bit higher. She knew Steve hated it when she played around but the conditions were perfect to go for a loop and she was just weighing up whether or not the inevitable lecture was a price worth paying when Gaby appeared in the co pilot's seat next to her. Letting out a yelp, it was only the years of training that kept her hands steady on the yoke as she half glared at the sheepish looking spectre. Pulling her headset off with a mildly shaking hand, Quinn cursed under her breath before speaking.

"Could you explain to me exactly _how _that was safer than your last appearance, if you hadn't noticed I'm several thousand feet in the air, in charge of a plane I can't afford to replace even now I'm semi rich!"

Holding her hands out pleadingly, Gaby attempted a half smile.

"Well if it's any consolation I managed to quell my first instinct which was just to appear on the plane's nose cone in front of you?"

After a moments silence, Quinn's half hearted scowl morphed seamlessly into a chuckle and she shook her head slightly. As much as she wasn't keen on her friend's sudden appearances she couldn't deny how great it felt to see her again, glancing sideways the blonde took in the shy yet pleased smile on the redhead's face.

"Okay, point taken that would have made me jump much more…so I appreciate the restraint you showed, I take it I'm needed again?"

The spectre's smile turned a little sad and she nodded in agreement, at the brief flash of pain in her friend's eyes, Quinn frowned in concern.

"Hey…you okay there Watson?"

Shaking herself mentally, Gaby forced a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I am, it's just a little tough, this case I mean…the girl sort of reminds me of…well it doesn't matter but this case isn't going to be easy like your last one. I feel sort of bad about bringing it to you but I put it off as long as I could…I mean I popped in before but it was _so _the wrong time!"

Acknowledging that the babble was her friend's way of deflecting the question, Quinn warred with herself for a long moment over whether or not to let it drop. It was the faint pleading light in her friend's eyes that decided it for her…well, that and the fact she finally 'heard' the second part of the torrent of words.

"Hang on there Watson…what do you mean you 'popped in' before but it was the wrong time?"

Flushing slightly, Gaby flinched and tried to avoid the pilot's piercing hazel gaze.

"Well…it really wasn't intended Sherlock and it's not like I can ring the doorbell or anything, well I mean I guess I _could _but if Rachel answered it and there was no one there it might freak her out."

Refusing to rise to the bait of the conversational segue way, the pilot just arched a blonde eyebrow and waited…

"Damn…you're actually going to make me say it aren't you? Well…I may have popped in while you were um…christening your bedrooms, I promise I didn't like stay and watch or anything, well, not after the shock wore off anyway."

Hazel eyes snapped forward again to peer out of the cockpit with intense concentration, she could feel the heat suffusing her cheeks a nice cherry red and wasn't sure what to say…if anything. Gaby however, having had longer to get used to the idea, was erring on the side of humour (mostly for her own sanity) and piped up cheerily.

"The dog bite on your ass is healing nicely at least?"

Groaning faintly and only resisting the urge to face palm because she was flying, the pilot managed to choke out a few words clipped with the embarrassment laced within them.

"How about we never mention it again…like _ever_?"

Gaby nodded hastily and both of them looked out at the birds eye view of the terrain beneath them, after a few moments of silence the pilot cleared her throat and spoke casually to try and negate the awkwardness of the previous conversation.

"So…this new case, care to enlighten me?"

Looking back across at her friend, Gaby's smile softened for a moment before she nodded and let loose a long sigh.

"When we get on the ground I'll bring her to you, she's kind of full of attitude, I'll warn you now…reminds me of you at that age…"

She trailed off and the blonde frowned for a moment opening her mouth to question the redhead when she heard the tinny voice coming from her headset. Swearing, she slipped it back on and clearing her throat communicated her position and requested permission to land. Once it was granted, all her concentration was on the job at hand and it wasn't until she was safely in the hangar that she turned her mind back to the situation with Gaby. The whole time she had checked the cub over and refuelled it, the redhead had sat nonchalantly, unseen, on the wing of the plane watching the business of the airfield. After clocking out, Quinn threw her leather jacket on and headed out to the jeep that Rachel had started insisting she use instead of the bike. Apparently the bike was too unpredictable and with children on the way, Rachel worried too much about her using it, so with only minimal pouting the blonde had acquiesced to her girlfriend's request. As soon as they were underway Gaby started talking again, starting with the unasked question Quinn had started in the plane.

"She's thirteen, she…died from a fall, at the time the cops ruled it a suicide but she says it wasn't and she won't go over until she can prove that…or to be more accurate until _you _can prove it."

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, the blonde became aware she was gripping the steering wheel overly tightly and forced herself to loosen her hold.

"Thirteen? Jesus where were her parents at…why was it ruled a suicide, how many thirteen year olds commit suicide?"

There was a moments silence and then Gaby let out a breath she couldn't truly have been holding before she replied.

"There was a problem with her father, he was drinking a lot and her mom asked for help, she was having difficulty trying to keep the family together on her own. Anyway, children's services got involved and it was decided that to help the mom out and to encourage the dad to seek help for the drinking, they would put Jodie into temporary foster care."

Seeing the plus and negative sides of this approach, Quinn just kept her peace and took her eyes off the road long enough to indicate Gaby should carry on with the story.

"Jodie wasn't keen on this obviously, in fact she grew hostile and just wanted to go home she withdrew from the other kids and spent more time hanging around the kids home than she did the foster homes she was sent to. As soon as she was placed with a family, she acted out until she ended up back at the home, still she kept herself to herself and one day…one day she was found on the sidewalk under the window of her bedroom. They assumed she killed herself…when the police told her parents they…it ripped them apart for good. Her dad has been lost in a bottle ever since and her mom hasn't left the house. They both blame each other _and _themselves for her death but they won't talk to each other. Jodie wants them to know the truth, she wants them to know they did the right thing at the time…and that she didn't kill herself."

Paused at the traffic lights, Quinn rubbed her jaw thoughtfully and sighed.

"Do you reckon she's being truthful, about not killing herself? I mean I hope to god she is in a way but…I don't know what it feels like to want to…"

She trailed off guiltily, her throat closing on the words she almost didn't want the answer to…but Gaby _knew_, she knew what it felt like to want to end your life, like it was the only answer. And as much of a bully as Quinn felt for pushing the question, she knew her friend was the only one who had the answer to it. Gaby had closed her eyes, her hands gripping the edge of the white sundress she always seemed to wear these days, after a long moment she answered softly.

"It's okay Q…I know why you're asking me and it's _okay_. And for what it's worth, no, I don't think she killed herself, she has too much fight in her for that. She was angry, confused and upset but she was still a fighter, like I said she reminds me of you."

Nodding awkwardly, there was a pause as Quinn pulled into the long gravel driveway and began the approach to her new home. After a moment, she cleared her throat and glanced over at her best friend, blinking away the tears she hadn't realised had gathered in the corner of her eyes.

"I _am _sorry Gaby…I know you say it doesn't matter but it does, it matters a lot."

Pulling up outside the house, the pilot killed the engine and for a long moment they sat in silence, after a moment the spectre cleared her throat.

"I'll meet you up in…actually where do you want to meet, I mean it looks like the house is empty for the moment so what about the lounge?"

Smiling briefly, Quinn nodded and slipped from the jeep easily, fishing the large bunch of house keys from her pocket, simultaneously embarrassed and thankful that Rachel had labelled them all for her to avoid confusion.

"Yeah, give me five minutes to get in, grab something to eat and drink then we'll get down to it. Hopefully my office will be up and running soon…as weird as this is, it's beginning to feel almost like a real paid job as opposed to a…gift, obligation? Anyway, gimme five and I'm all yours."

She saw the redhead nod before she disappeared and heading into the house, she tried to ignore the massive piles of carefully tabbed carpet swatches and paint charts that had been left out for her to go through and approve. Pulling open the fridge, she breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the last can of root beer she had stashed was still untouched at the back. Digging it out, she snagged a bag of Cheetos from the cupboard and headed into the lounge which did look kind of ridiculous at the moment, two battered and tiny sofa's in the cavernous room _was _almost comical after all! Seconds after she popped the top on the soda can, Gaby reappeared and in tow was a scowling thirteen year old that was obviously Jodie. Her hands were in the pockets of her frayed jeans, the blue and white checked shirt she wore was a size too big and the sneakers were almost as worn through as Quinn's favourite ones were. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail and the bright grey eyes were narrowed suspiciously, the only jewellery she had was a bulky watch that was obviously for a man and looked huge on her tiny wrist and a frayed friendship band made of blue and red thread. Sitting back in the sofa, Quinn glanced between the kid and the spectre for a moment before clearing her throat.

"So…you wanna tell me what I can do to help you then kiddo?"

Scowling even more heavily, the girl slumped onto the couch opposite the one that the pilot was sat on and muttered.

"Don't call me that, I hate that, my name is J.D."

Taking a swig of her drink, Quinn thought back to all the shit she must have put her parents through and couldn't help thinking there was some divine retribution in all this. Sitting back in her seat, she just nodded however and kept her wry grin to herself.

"Okay…then J.D, tell me how I can help you, how can I prove you didn't kill yourself?"

Crossing her arms and then uncrossing them a few times, the kid chewed on her lip and then shrugged.

"You're the detective, aren't _you _like…meant to work that out?"

Closing her eyes and pausing to take a calming breath, Quinn tried again, this kid had walls higher than her own had been when she'd come out of Juvie!

"Yeah but to do that I need clues, and you are the one that holds those clues, which is why I need you to talk to me, to tell me why someone would want to kill you. I mean what can you have done as a thirteen year old to piss someone off _that _much…apart from being a smartass I mean."

For a moment J.D looked at her in mild shock, then despite her resolve not to trust this adult until they proved their self, the teen found herself smiling slightly before riposting swiftly.

"Takes one to know one."

Pausing with her soda can halfway to her mouth, Quinn snorted a laugh and downed the last of the root beer before masking a belch and setting the empty can down, conceded.

"Alright then smartass, I admit I _may _also have been a bit of a handful at your age…"

Gaby made a distorted coughing sound from the corner and the teen and Quinn both swivelled to look at her, grinning slightly, the redhead raised an eyebrow and decided the least she could do was get J.D to trust the pilot…and if that just happened to include the chance to recount one of the more embarrassing tales from the blonde's childhood then so be it. Taking in the mildly warning look on Quinn's face and dismissing it in favour of the curious one on the girl's, she sank down next to her with a grin.

"When she say's _may _have been that's one hell of an understatement, in fact she could definitely have given you a run for your money J.D, there was, for instance, that time the two of us got water bombed by the football team who were determined to see us in wet T-shirts."

Quinn groaned as she remembered that and then when she remembered the revenge that she had orchestrated, she sat up straight again and narrowed her eyes.

"You can't tell her _that _story, we got detention for like a month and my mom was so disappointed, I had to clean the house non stop for twice that long."

Raising a challenging eyebrow, Gaby crossed her arms and smirked.

"And if I remember rightly _you _said it was worth every second of it to prove to those 'jock douche bags' that we weren't there simply for them to leer at…personally I think you were still pissed at being told you couldn't join the football team."

J.D swivelled her head to look directly at the half smirking half embarrassed pilot.

"You tried out for the football team?"

Sighing with the realisation that there was no way she was getting out of telling the story now, Quinn rolled her eyes and settling back in the seat crossed her feet before propping them on the table, something she never got away with when Rachel was in the house.

"I always used to play touch football in the summer with my dad and his pals and some of the other service kids. I wasn't like Joe Montana or anything but I loved the game, I found it fun and I knew the playbook like the back of my hand. As a joke my dad said I should try out for the team, you have to understand that Carmel was always more about the arts than it was the sports and to be brutally honest our football team sucked."

She paused as Gaby laughed and nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh hell yeah, in fact sucked is a huge understatement, they showed up for the games and that was the best you could say for them…but Q here knew there was no way the coach would let her try out for the team, not as herself anyway."

Almost against her will, J.D found herself riveted by the story the two women were telling, placing her elbows on her knees she rested her chin in her cupped hands and half smiled, not willing to let her walls down completely, at least not yet.

"Yeah, the coach was useless but very traditional so there was just no way…which is why I waited till most of the eager try out's made it onto the field then I helped myself to some spare practice gear. I jogged out and joined them calling myself Quinton, no one even blinked at first."

Gaby snorted again and settling back further into the worn sofa with delight she picked up the narrative.

"At first yeah, until they put you into a game scenario…she was awesome J.D, like I say in any other team she might not have looked quite as good but in Carmel…she _ruled_, even the coach looked stunned as she called out plays and ran circles around the guys who were already on the team. When the coach called time they damn near swarmed her with congratulations and he offered her the QB slot there and then…which is when it all went wrong."

Rolling her eyes Quinn nodded sagely, wincing ever so slightly as she remembered the coach's reaction to her next little revelation.

"I figured I had made my point out so I took my helmet off and shook my hair out…now if it had been a movie, because I'd already proven myself I would have gotten to play. As it _wasn't _a movie however, what actually happened was the coach went purple and the guys looked like they wanted to kill me. He was too mad to do much apart from yell at me for making a mockery of the game and the team and questioning my school spirit, I was getting fired up to argue back when Gaby showed up and dragged me off. It was after that the football team water bombed us…trying to remind me and them that I was female and therefore unable to play football and they were male and therefore superior to me."

Gaby stretched and caught the incensed look in J.D's grey eyes, smiling slightly she nodded at the teen and gestured to Quinn.

"Yeah…the way you're feeling now is exactly the way that Quinn felt, especially after the water bomb attack, which of course led to the retribution that cost us the first game of the season. Although to be fair they lost _every _game that season, so the chances they would have done any better without her interference was slim."

Tilting her head slightly, the surly teen gave into her curiosity and mumbled.

"So…what did you do to 'em then?"

Rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably the pilot half smiled, even now she still felt a tiny amount of remorse…but it was only tiny and they had sort of asked for it.

"I…ah, may have put itching powder in their helmets, it was only a small amount but it was enough to totally put them off their game and make them a laughing stock."

J.D looked at her in shock for a moment then burst into peals of laughter which more than anything revealed how truly young she was. Quinn's smile was bittersweet, she was happy that the prickly teen was looking like she might trust her, but knowing that the kid had lost her life at thirteen, and more than likely as a result of murder made her sick to her stomach. She shared a brief look with Gaby and the red head nodded sadly ever so fractionally before clearing her throat. After getting herself under control, the teenager wiped at her eyes and regarded Quinn carefully for a moment before nodding, more to herself than the pilot.

"Okay, I guess you're not entirely lame then…so what do you want to know?"

Sitting forward in her chair Quinn spoke cautiously, as tough as this kid was pretending to be she was after all, just a kid and the pilot didn't want to upset her anymore than she had to.

"Do you have any idea who would have done this to you?"

Frowning slightly, J.D played idly with her friendship band, looking up, there was a certain vulnerability in her eyes that Quinn instinctively knew was difficult for the girl to reveal.

"I didn't think so, I mean I didn't like being placed in other homes ya know because…my home was with my mom and dad and being anywhere else felt wrong. The children's home was okay because it wasn't permanent, but despite what they said it felt like if I went to someone else's house then I was cheating on my folks…ya know?"

Taking in the wariness in the grey eyes, the pilot felt herself nodding in agreement.

"It makes sense, I would have felt the same…I did feel the same when there was a chance of it after I came out of Juvie. Luckily I had a good solicitor so it didn't happen but…I'm not just telling you what you want to hear when I say I DO understand, okay?"

After a second of intense eye to eye contact, J.D relaxed and nodded, after a moment she went on.

"So…when I was at the home I was well behaved, I didn't cause trouble, I mean a couple of times I got into fights but I didn't start them. And those kids weren't in the house when it happened anyway, they'd been placed with families weeks ago."

Quinn nodded to herself and fiddling with the laces on her chucks she worded her next question carefully.

"I know this is going to suck like a Dyson but…can you tell me all you remember about it actually happening, from about five minutes before hand?"

Fidgeting a bit more agitatedly with her friendship band, the teen shifted awkwardly for a moment and keeping her eyes very steadfastly on her hands, she spoke quietly but concisely.

"I was…upset because my friend, this girl called Gracey, she'd been placed like a week before and she was so happy because unlike me and some of the other kids there she had no home she was going back to. She didn't say much but she told me she had no family and she liked watching Sabrina the teenage witch so we liked to watch it together. When she left, she promised to call me or write but she didn't…I know she was really happy but she didn't have many friends either and I thought…she would have maybe at least rung."

She trailed off quietly and not for the first time, Quinn wished she could reach out and touch the spirits she helped. It would have been worth it even if the kid had ranted and raged at her. In order to distract her thoughts, she rubbed her itching palms on the knees of her jeans before carrying on.

"Was it her that gave you that bracelet?"

J.D obviously wasn't expecting the question and it surprised a small smile out of her as she played with the bracelet in question and nodded.

"Yeah, we both really liked the Harry Potter books as well and were always talking about what we would do if we could really go to Hogwarts. We did this online test about what house we would have been sorted into and she got Ravenclaw while I got Gryffindor…so in craft time she made us each one of these mixing the two house colours."

Quinn grinned slightly and with a small wrinkling of her nose admitted.

"I ah…got Hufflepuff."

That made Gaby and J.D laugh out loud which dispelled the tension that had started to gather, once the laughter subsided, the teen shifted again and felt confident enough to carry on.

"Anyway, like I said, I was sad because I didn't know how she was and if the family were a good one or not. So I snuck into the office and wanted to see if I could find out where she went…I wasn't in there long when I heard voices coming."

Pausing, she frowned as she tried to place whose the voices were.

"I think…I mean I'm not sure but I _think _that it was the guy who runs it and the nurse there, Mr Sawyer and Nurse Davies. I hid under the desk because I didn't want to get caught and sent to another family, they saw the drawer open and they got kind of mad. Real mad in fact and started shouting at each other about paperwork needing to be sent away and not kept in the office. Then I heard them mention Gracey's name and mine, when I heard them move out of the office I ran off because their voices were kinda scaring me. I headed straight up to my room and then…I don't remember anything after that, it's like it just stopped."

She paused and huffed out a frustrated breath at being unable to remember anything that she felt could help. Quinn, on the other hand had heard more than enough to get her started and she turned to Gaby thoughtfully.

"Gaby I need to know where this children's home is and if those two in particular still work there…J.D, did you ask anyone about Gracey, about where she was or anything else?"

Looking up distractedly, the teen yanked on the friendship bracelet one more time before sighing and letting go of it reluctantly.

"I asked every day yes…because she promised and I just wanted to know she was alright. So every day the mail came I asked. When nothing came after a while I asked Mr Sawyer if I could have the address of where she went so I could write to _her _instead, but he said no because it wasn't allowed."

Shrugging, the girl pulled her knees up until they were tucked under her chin, wrapping her arms round them, she frowned heavily and muttered.

"I think he was just being a douche though because other kids were allowed to tell us where they went."

Personally Quinn thought something similar…only much darker, swallowing down the sick feeling she was getting, the pilot forced a smile and stood up.

"I'm going to find out what happened to you J.D…I _promise, _and when I do I'll make sure your parents know the truth, okay?"

The girl looked at her uncertainly for a minute then sighed and nodded as though it didn't mean all that much to her. Sliding from the sofa, she went to stand next to Gaby who had also risen from the sofa, once she was holding the redhead's hand, J.D turned back to Quinn and half smiled.

"I guess for a grown up you aren't too bad…I'll see you soon?"

Palms still itching to reach out and wrap the teenage ghost in a hug, Quinn slid them into her back pocket and forced herself to smile casually as she nodded.

"You bet…and don't tell anyone up there about the Hufflepuff thing okay? I mean I have to protect my reputation as a hard assed psychic investigator after all."

Gaby snorted while J.D just rolled her eyes and allowed herself to be led off, as soon as she felt them leave, the blonde allowed herself to sag into the sofa again. Thinking about what J.D had inadvertently overheard, she rubbed both hands down her face roughly, this was going to be a disturbing case whatever she found. Letting out a ragged breath, she stood up and swiftly constructing a sandwich with one of everything that was in the fridge, she grabbed a coke and headed through to the bedroom where the laptop was. After putting off what she had to do by demolishing the sandwich and checking e-mail's, she logged into the secure server she had Artie set up for her in high school. Admittedly back then it was due to downloading the odd TV show or three but even now he sent through the regular updates to keep it going and she was grateful for a whole other reason.

This job was likely to have her looking up lord knew what and the last thing she needed was the cops breaking her door down because she set off some F.B.I or C.I.A trigger. Cracking her knuckles, she started typing in her search parameters, as yet she didn't know where the home was or who these people were let alone their backgrounds. But she did know that kids with no one to worry about them disappearing from a children's home without trace was something bad, worse than bad in fact and so she started by looking up facts and figures regarding child slave labour. This led to other search results describing the various other trades that kids were sold into, despite the nausea roiling in her gut Quinn pressed on, starting to search for local cases in the last ten years.

She was entirely unaware of time as she sat at the desk that Rachel used as a vanity and tried to digest what some people would do to earn money from children. She wasn't even aware when Rachel came home, so absorbed in what she was doing that she didn't hear the door opening or closing or the greeting, let alone the footsteps as the diva trudged up to their bedroom. The first she knew of her fiancée's presence was when she placed a gentle hand on the pilot's shoulder causing her to leap out of her seat with fright. Turning abruptly, she saw who was there and minimised the search windows she had open immediately before reaching blindly out to pull the brunette into a fierce hug. Rachel had no idea what was going on but judging from the brief glance she had gotten of what was on the laptop, it was nothing pleasant. Aware that there was a growing wetness on the stomach of her vest top where the pilot's head was resting, she started to run her fingers soothingly through the blonde locks.

"Quinn sweetheart what's wrong, what's happened?"

For a while the blonde did nothing but cling to her and shake her head vaguely, silently crying against the warm skin that held their growing children. She wasn't sure if it was the comfort of the growing babies she wanted or that of her partner but she knew that at that moment in time, she didn't want to let go. Settling herself against the edge of the desk, Rachel just waited until she felt Quinn start to calm against her, after a few more moments the pilot sat up straight and went to wipe her nose on her sleeve. Intervening just in time, Rachel produced a tissue from her pocket and presented it to the puffy eyed blonde with a gentle smile. Managing a weak one in return, Quinn cleaned herself up and then looked up into the questioning brown eyes of her obviously concerned partner.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to worry you, I didn't hear you coming and I was just so caught up in…"

Trailing off, the pilot sat back in the seat and turned so she could pull Rachel into her lap, resting her forehead against the diva's, she blew out a shaky breath.

"Just promise me we won't ever let our kids out of our sight until they're like twenty? And that we make proper plans for their care should anything ever happen to us?"

Adjusting her position until Quinn's cheek was resting on her shoulder, Rachel kissed the crown of her head before speaking very carefully.

"Of course we will, what do you think all those carefully tabbed folders I have been working on are about hmm?"

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the partly amused partly affronted tone in Rachel's voice.

"Sorry I should have known that you would be one or two organisational steps ahead of me…and I didn't mean to worry you, it's just that…I have a new job, as in a ghost job."

Nodding internally, the little diva continued to run her fingers soothingly through the shaggy blonde locks, knowing that eventually Quinn would tell her what was bothering her.

"It's…I mean she's just a kid Rae, who would kill a thirteen year old kid, it defies belief and if I'm right about why she was killed I just…I suppose I didn't realise quite how bad some of these cases would be, stupidly naive of me huh?"

Shaking her head slightly, Rachel smiled before letting out a breath.

"No, not at all…we all know bad stuff happens but most of the time we can shelter ourselves from the reality of it. The fact that you can't envisage why someone would do that to a thirteen year old doesn't make you naïve sweetheart, it just makes you normal. And you need to remember that you're helping her, you are doing what you can Quinn and it's more than most have the ability to do."

Nodding ever so slightly, Quinn let her hand reach out to rest on the swelling of the diva's belly and smiled softly.

"I know…I know hon, it's just tough when you can see them sat in front of you and it sometimes feels like although I'm helping it's still too late to do any good."

Remembering what Judy had told her all those weeks ago about needing to be Quinn's anchor, Rachel cleared her throat and nudging the blonde until she lifted her head caught her gaze with a fierce one of her own.

"Listen to me Quinn Fabray, whatever happened to that kid wasn't something you could have stopped but you _can _give her peace. You can still help her and in doing so you may very well prevent it happening to anyone else, and that's definitely something worth doing…as well as making whomever did that to her pay for it finally."

Taking a moment to really listen to what the brunette was saying, Quinn felt the truth of the words vibrate within her ears and the part of her that had been weeping inside, wondering how on earth she could help, let alone solve J.D's murder calmed. Yes it would be tough, it might be one of the toughest things she would ever have to face in this job but there was a reason she had been given this gift and she would be damned if she was going to let people get away with murdering a kid. Feeling the warmth of her babies home under her hand, she smiled and looked back up into Rachel's warm gaze.

"You're right…of course, you always are, well almost anyway, I _still _say you're lying about me needing to eat things that are green occasionally."

Rolling her eyes, the diva shoved Quinn playfully before she leaned down to steal a quick kiss.

"Of course I'm right, now how about you pull your head out of whatever's been disturbing you so much and come downstairs to eat dinner with me…if it helps I got your favourite from the Chinese place?"

Grin widening, Quinn fought off the slight stab of guilt she felt for not carrying on her research and closed the laptop's lid with a definitive click. Besides, there was little else she could do until tomorrow when she decided to call in that favour from Tina and ask her for a little background dirt on the names J.D had given her. Forcing her mind from the case, she decided to involve herself in the here and now, standing she easily held Rachel within her arms and started to make her way down the wide staircase. Despite the fact that they had done it thousands of times before, the diva screwed her eyes tight shut and buried her head in the blonde's shoulder. Quinn giggled slightly but kept a tight hold until they reached the ground floor.

"Hey, see, yet another safe delivery thanks to Fabray's freight transportation!"

Setting the brunette down with a flourish, she only realised belatedly that she had referred to her beloved as freight. Hoping against hope that, that little detail had slipped the diva's notice, she looked up with a winning smile…that quickly turned into a wince when she caught the glare.

"Quinn Fabray did you just refer to me…as _freight_?"

Scratching the back of her neck nervously, the pilot stood upright and debated attempting a little white lie, deciding not to risk it she just grinned in what she hoped was a winning way and ventured.

"Um…whoops, slip of the tongue?"

Slowly raising one dark eyebrow, the diva flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"It had better be or you will certainly not be receiving any more 'slips of the tongue' from me!"

Turning on her heel, she headed into the kitchen leaving Quinn to face palm loudly in the entrance hall and mutter to thin air.

"Okay…pregnant fiancée Fabray, remember to edit _every _thought before it leaves your mouth!"

Having berated herself, she sighed and jogged after Rachel, planning to spend the rest of the evening spoiling the brunette rotten and trying to push the case to the back of her mind until she had to face it. Tonight was about them as a family, tomorrow and the cold, hard brutal facts of a thirteen year old's murder would come soon enough.

_Quinn has her next case but this one won__'__t be one that gets solved in one chapter and it will involve more characters as she calls in favours from wherever she can. J.D may become a bit of a fixture for a while even after her case is solved as I have something in mind…anyway I hope you all enjoyed and remain intrigued enough to stick with the story. I apologise for the gratuitous smut at the beginning of the chapter but it is an end of exams present for my wonderful beta Nicole! She requested it so as much as I am reluctant to do it I did, I just hope she finds it sufficiently hot lol. On another note it was my birthday on April 30__th__ (Same day as Dianna Agron how cool is that!) which is why this chapter took a little longer than usual, have my apologies and a slice of chocolate birthday cake! XXX_


	7. Chapter 7

Growling in her half asleep state, Quinn swiped grumpily at the finger that was insistently poking her in the side. What _was _it with the world having a problem with her trying to get a decent night's sleep! If she were a party girl, always out burning the midnight oil and getting wasted, then maybe she could understand it, but she wasn't, she worked hard both officially and unofficially and if she wanted to catch an extra half an hour between the sheets on her day off then she was damn well _going _to. The blinds were (thankfully) still down and only the edges of the morning sun were peeking through, closing her eyes again contentedly, she was just starting to feel that wonderful fluffy cloud feeling that you got right before sinking into a really restful sleep when…_poke_! Growling the blonde whipped the duvet off and sat up glaring, hormones or no hormones Rachel was really pushing her luck…only it wasn't Rachel. Instead of her sheepish (or more likely smirking) fiancée lying next to her, it was Gaby, who most definitely showed no signs of remorse at all. In fact all she did was wiggle the tips of her fingers in a wave as she grinned brightly.

"Good morning to you too sunshine!"

Rolling sleep clouded hazel eyes, the pilot just grunted and lay back down, trying to hide her head under the pillows, not that ignoring a ghost was _ever _likely to work. Especially when the ghost in question was someone who had known her since she could barely crawl and never fell for her tricks.

"Fabray get your ass out of bed! I got you the information you wanted, well I got what I could anyway and if you wanna do anything with it you need to do it this morning, you know, _before _the appointment, you're likely to be useless afterwards."

Frowning into her pillow, Quinn peered out for a moment and after wracking her brains and coming up with nothing, begrudgingly asked.

"What appointment?"

The redhead rolled her eyes, pointing one finger towards the note that was propped up next to the radio alarm. Hoisting herself up on one elbow the blonde snatched it up and read it.

_Quinn sweetheart, _

_don't forget my second ultrasound is today at twelve thirty, I have a meeting with my agent this morning but should be finished around eleven. I thought maybe we could have lunch together afterwards and talk about the wedding? Enjoy your morning off babe!_

_Love, your Cheerio XOX_

Swearing, Quinn kicked the rest of the duvet off whilst simultaneously feeling like kicking _herself _for forgetting about the appointment.

"Jesus I can't believe I forgot that was today! I mean…it seems too soon to be so late on in the pregnancy…if you know what I mean?"

Gaby nodded and just threw a neatly ironed black shirt towards the fumbling pilot who was trying to extract clean clothes from the mixed pile of laundry on the floor. Catching the cotton shirt, Quinn raised an eyebrow. The ghost then laughed and pointed to the chair by the desk slash vanity where clean jeans, a white vest top and underwear had been laid out.

"I remember what you're like when you sleep in too long remember? The amount of mornings you had to finish getting dressed in the car on the way to school…I think half your clothes ended up on the floor of my old car actually?"

Rolling her eyes but nonetheless grateful for the unasked for help Gaby had provided, Quinn reached to start dressing when a very loud throat clearing itself stopped her, frowning she glanced over at the flushed spectre.

"What?"

"First of all, a little warning if you're planning to start stripping off Sherlock, second, shower first okay? You have more than enough time and I think you should make a little extra effort, you and Rachel haven't gotten to spend much quality time together lately."

Ducking her head guiltily, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck mumbling.

"I know, it's just been really busy at work…and when I get back the boys are discussing patterns and colours with her and as much as I try, and as much she tries to get me interested, I'm just _not_."

Smiling slightly, Gaby's tone was soft as she spoke.

"I know dumb ass…that's why I'm saying, with no gay decorators, no emergency and no work, you two need the quality time together, so go make yourself pretty Fabray…or try to anyway!"

Flipping the bird as she moved into the en suite bathroom, Quinn was nonetheless smiling, it felt good to have Gaby around again…even if it was this way. The weird thing was that _this _Gaby was like the old one, the one before Jesse came along and destroyed her, it felt almost like Quinn had a second chance to save her…but that was wishful thinking and she knew it. It wasn't until she was soaking in the tub that she remembered what the redhead said about having the information she asked for, frowning she reached for the soap and called out.

"Gabs, what information were you talking about, do you mean about J.D's murder? Cos I sort of have a theory about that based on what she's already told me and some general stuff I managed to dig up on the internet, a shitty theory that I hope isn't real but I need to know where and when exactly she died."

The reply when it came was much closer than she anticipated, admittedly if she hadn't been scrubbing her face, she would have seen the spectre appear, as it was she looked up startled from rinsing the soap off her face to see her friend sat on the closed toilet lid.

"Well I know a year anyway if not a date, and more importantly I have the name of the home where it happened; Serenity Children's Shelter."

Blinking for a moment in shock, Quinn lunged for the sponge and shampoo bottle to try and cover all the relevant parts of herself at once as she spluttered.

"Jesus Gaby you could have just called through you know…you didn't have to get all pervy on me!"

The redhead rolled her eyes and looked back down at the comic she was flipping through idly.

"Oh _please_, I've seen it all before remember and nothings changed…well, except the hickey on your…"

Quinn's high-pitched protest stopped _that _little sentence, although Gaby did smirk from behind the safety of her comic.

"Okay! Enough…um, yeah, well I can see that _you _ah…aren't fazed by this at all but it weird's me out so keep your eyes down Armaro and tell me what you got."

Watching warily with one eye, Quinn finished washing and shaving her legs while the redhead talked her through what she had gotten out of J.D.

"The kid's a real pain in the ass when she doesn't want to do something you know? It was like pulling teeth! But what I _did _manage to get out of her was that 2007 was the year it happened and she was aged twelve, well, a day shy of thirteen actually so she refers to herself as 13...but you get the picture."

Wincing as she caught her ankle bone yet again with the 'so called' safety razor, the pilot waved a hand for her friend to carry on.

"Anyway, this friend of hers, Gracie, was not yet ten so there was a bit of an age difference between the two girls but they still bonded more closely than J.D did with any of her peers. The home is just outside Brooklyn and for the most part has a good reputation, they take in mostly completely orphaned kids, J.D. was an exception because the usual home the city uses was busy that year."

Finally finishing with her legs, Quinn paused to rinse the second lot of shampoo out of her hair before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself, mind occupied with putting together the pieces of what Gaby had discovered with the fragments of information she had dug up over the last few nights.

"So…we know where and what year, I'm definitely thinking it was a deliberate act so murder without a doubt, she was in a home she wouldn't normally have been placed in because of extenuating circumstances."

Frowning, she grabbed a comb to try and sort out her tangled locks as well as her tangled thoughts as she carried on speaking.

"And the home she was in is the type more usually used for children who are completely alone, I mean I'm taking it that when you say that you mean they had _no _family at all right?"

She looked at the redhead in the reflection of the mirror, Gaby nodded grimly, confirming in a low voice.

"Yeah, exactly that, some were refugee kids that were discovered in government raids and no status could be found on them as to whether they should even be in the country or not. Some are the kids of families who were wiped out in accidents, hell some are even from the flooding in New Orleans…but the one thing they all have in common is that _no one_ is looking for them."

Sighing sadly, the blonde nodded and headed through to the bedroom to start dressing, no longer worried about Gaby's presence because her whole mind was on what she thought J.D. might have stumbled across. A part of her held on to the grim childish hope that if she didn't vocalise what she was thinking then maybe it wouldn't be true. However as she buckled her belt, she caught Gaby's eyes in the mirror again and deflated…finally saying what she had come up with last night.

"I did a _lot _of research, just fishing at first but then it got more specific, apparently it's not uncommon for these kids to be literally sold to people, most of them are sold into sweat factory labour, you know? The older girls though are known to be sold to…sex traffickers. The worst though…are the sick fucks that pay above the odds to get hold of children for, _other _reasons, it makes me sick thinking this goes on in this country Gabs, I mean third world countries, countries caught in civil conflict…places like that you expect it, but _America_! This is meant to be the country that's free of shit like this…this case is going to get messy Watson, really bloody messy."

Walking forward slowly, the spectre lay a gentle hand on her friend's bare shoulder in a vain attempt to ease the tension she could feel in the pilots muscles before reaching for the vest top to pass her.

"I know…and this is what I meant by this gift having a downside, you're going to see the shit that most people don't even have to think about let alone acknowledge. This is why you need to start treasuring your time with Rachel, why you need to go out of your way to _make _time for her, for your family and friends…don't take them for granted Sherlock, trust me when I say you don't know what you have till you don't have it."

The spectre's smile was sad and Quinn impulsively reached out to hold her close, they stood like that for a moment then wordlessly the blonde pilot slipped the vest top over her head. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her still rattled composure, she tucked it in before shrugging the shirt on, rolling the sleeves up a quarter of the way and doing up the middle three buttons only. Forcing a smile and surreptitiously wiping her eyes with the back of her hands, she turned round, gesturing to herself.

"So, how do I look…smart enough that she will willingly admit to being with me?"

Laughing, the redhead waggled her hand side to side.

"You should pass muster, although if I might be granted permission to venture one teeny tiny suggestion?"

Propping her hands on her hips, Quinn raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"I know I'm going to regret this but…fire away Watson."

Smiling widely, Gaby shrugged and pointedly pulled out the rarely used and much smaller than Rachel's make up bag from the pilot's night stand drawer.

"You aren't in Juvie anymore so there's nothing wrong with using a little make up now and again, not that you need any, you have a beauty even Grace Kelly admires, trust me on that one! However, a little mascara just to make your eyes pop and maybe some lip gloss?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn took the bag and reluctantly applied a very thin layer of each of the items that her friend had suggested. It wasn't that she had anything against make up exactly but working in a garage and an airfield tended to make it pretty much the last priority…but this was for _Rachel _after all, and if forced to admit it, Gaby was right about the way it made her eyes pop. Turning back around, she raised her eyebrow again wordlessly, taking the hint the redhead clapped softly and kissed her finger tips like an Italian chef.

"Bellissimo! Now…promise me you will talk to Rachel about these cases if they get too much okay?"

Sighing, the pilot searched for her phone and wallet slipping them into her back pockets before finding her father's old Breitling and snapping it on, last but not least and most certainly never forgotten were her father's dog tags. Over the years, they had straightened out slightly and lost most of their tarnished edge, but Quinn could not envisage a time when she wouldn't be wearing them _somehow_, even if they fell apart on her. Smiling to herself, she patted the steel tags next to her chest, feeling the familiar jolt she always did, it was then something occurred to her.

"Gaby…if you see people up there then…I mean, have you seen my dad?"

The redhead shuffled awkwardly and avoided Quinn's eyes, she had known this question was going to come up sooner or later but she still wasn't ready for it. She wanted to tell Quinn how it worked, she really did but the rules wouldn't let her…and having to lie to her best friend, especially about this, was going to hurt badly, but she had no choice.

"I don't see everyone and they sort of don't want family to see family, like…I can't see my parents and your dad can't see you."

That much was at least true, partly anyway, to her relief and although she looked upset and puzzled by the answer, Quinn just nodded and forced a smile.

"Okay…well it didn't hurt to ask right? And now you should go before Rachel get's back, like you said we need time together, though I _can't _talk to her about cases like this…you know how dramatic she is, she wouldn't let the kids out the front door without armour!"

Smirking slightly at the fact she could very clearly see Rachel Berry doing just such a thing, Gaby shook her head slightly in an admonishing way.

"Sometimes you need to decompress too Sherlock…just remember that, if it's one you can't talk to her about then maybe you should consider bringing Santana into this. And before you go mental at me for even suggesting it let me explain!"

Quinn, whose mouth was wide open and poised to deliver a barrage of words on just why that would be one of the worst things she could do, closed it reluctantly. Seeing she was going to get a chance to plead her case, Gaby perched herself on the edge of the desk.

"She, more than anyone else you know, knows how tough it can get to have to live with the knowledge of stuff like this, stuff most other people can ignore, she can actually understand what you're going through. On top of that, it might help her to have someone to off load to as well, and if she knows what you're doing then she can help you in a more practical way as well, you would have much more access to records and cold cases."

Quinn shook her head forcefully at that.

"Not a chance, _maybe _the talking to each other thing I can buy into, because as hard ass as San likes to pretend she is, I know she's seen stuff that gives her sleepless nights. But she loves her job and I won't _ever _ask her to risk it to help me, I can get into the records room already and most times people leave themselves signed in when they head off for a break…I already have a certain limited access and that's all I need. Plus I don't think S would buy into the whole ghost thing…she would most likely have me sectioned. For now I'm not telling her and that's that, okay?"

Sighing, the spectre threw her hands up in surrender.

"Okay, fine I give in on that…for now anyway! Now go get ready to meet up with your beautiful girlfriend then later we'll go through what we have so far in more detail and how we're going to get even more info. Go on…shoo!"

Winking, Quinn walked backwards for a bit before turning with a grin and heading downstairs, just as she reached for her converse she heard Gaby call out.

"And don't put those god awful chucks on with that outfit, wear your leather boots!"

Scowling, the blonde nonetheless bypassed the chucks for the well-worn leather ankle boots. Slipping them on, she checked the time and decided to go meet Rachel early, pick her up from her agent's office so they could go to the Doc's office together. Happy with her plan, she grabbed the car key's and headed out, for a moment she spared a mournful look for the Ducatti which seemed to stare back just as mournfully. Shaking her head to clear it of even the idea of taking the bike, she headed to the jeep and grabbing some aviator shades of Rachel's from the dashboard to cut down on the mid morning glare, took off for the small office Rachel's agent used.

Across town meanwhile, Rachel was staring at her agent in shock, actually she probably surpassed shock five minutes into the conversation and right now was approaching a kind of comatose state. _This _would be her big break, well, sort of anyway, it was never an angle she had even considered going for, though it would without a doubt give her a guaranteed way into the recording business. But was it even going to be possible with the pregnancy, she highly doubted that this company in particular were going to want to wait the five months she had left of her pregnancy to start recording. To find out, all she had to do was ask, but right at that moment, she had forgotten how to talk and words were eluding her. Holding a hand up to halt the stream of words that were coming from her excited agent's mouth, Rachel blew out a slow breath and decided that starting at the beginning was _indeed _a very good place to start…thank you once again Julie Andrews!

"Okay, um…are you seriously telling me that Buena Vista have been in contact with you about me, as in _Disney_?"

Smiling, Shelby Corcoran sat back in her chair and chuckled.

"How many times do you need to hear it to believe it Berry! _Yes_, Disney want you for their next big project, it's animated but they want you for the voice acting _and _the singing of the title character!"

Peering very closely at Shelby to see if there was even a hint of mockery, Rachel finally allowed a small smile to start curling up the corners of her mouth as she realised that there was no joke involved.

"I'm…wow, I mean that's big right? It's the sort of thing I can use to launch my career properly?"

Raising an eyebrow at that, Shelby crossed her arms with a joking scowl.

"Is that your way of saying I haven't been working my ass off enough to get you work Miss Berry?"

Leaping up from her seat, the little diva half lunged across the desk to wrap the other woman up in an almost suffocating hug.

Because of the hug Rachel never saw the fleeting look of pain that morphed into a melancholy type of sadness in the older woman's eyes. When she pulled back from the hug the little diva's grin had fully formed and her eyes shone with an enthusiasm that Shelby hadn't seen in a while now. Faltering slightly however, Rachel sat back and biting her lip lightly lay one hand on the now quite rounded bump.

"What about…I mean when do they want to start because these little tykes aren't going to want to stay in here for much longer, apparently very few multiple birth pregnancies go full term."

Smiling fondly at the way the brunette held her bump gently, Shelby sat forward and half reached out for a moment before halting, Rachel however just looked up and nodded.

"It's okay, everyone wants to touch the bump, although there's been no visible moving yet, I mean _I _can feel it but Quinn gets irritated that she can't yet."

She actually giggled as she remembered the way that every evening (after Rachel's 'morning but really evening sickness' had worn off) the pilot would lie with her head near the bump talking into it, trying to encourage the peanuts to start kicking and let her know they were there. Glancing up, she saw Shelby looking at her askance and explained.

"Every night she lies in bed upside down so her head is near the bump and tries to get them to start kicking so she can feel it too…last night she resorted to humming the can-can song! I swear the day they finally start kicking, she's going to refuse to let me stand up just so she can spend all night watching my belly!"

Sitting back again, Shelby stood up and poured them both a drink, fortified ginger ale for Rachel and sparkling water for her, the diva smiled gratefully as she took several long sips.

"You know you didn't have to get this stuff in for me specially Shelby, not that I don't appreciate it because believe me I do, at home I have to hide it because Quinn goes through soda like no one's business."

Frowning slightly, the older woman sipped her water carefully for a long moment wondering how to ask what she wanted to without sounding too nosy, or worse…creepy.

"How has she been now, about the pregnancy I mean, you said before that she was a little shaken by the reality of it?"

Remembering that she had, had to quickly adjust her story for people who had no knowledge of Quinn's special little friend, the brunette diva shrugged slightly and tried to recall exactly what she _had _said. As far as she could remember she had told Shelby it was a planned donor pregnancy but when the reality had kicked in, especially that it would be triplets, Quinn had freaked a little. She wouldn't even have said that except she had broken down in a meeting with Shelby just after she found out herself and the woman had comforted her. Smiling more naturally as she remembered how much of an effort Quinn had made since the initial shock, Rachel just nodded.

"She's been great actually, she's been working really hard to bring in enough money so that when the kids get here she can take some extended leave to help me establish a routine with them."

Finishing her water, Shelby sat back with a small smile and crossed her legs.

"So long as she's stepping up to the plate that's okay…and back to the original point you raised, the project isn't due to start until next year. All they need this side of Christmas is for you to go over for a screen test of sorts with the rest of the cast and lay down a demo track they can use for the teaser trailer."

Sagging with relief, Rachel grinned widely and finished her ginger beer.

"Well in that case tell them hell yeah! And I'll let you do the fine print arguing because you are _so _much better at that then me and I trust you not to let them rip me off."

For a moment they just smiled at each other happily, Rachel couldn't believe that someone as new to the showbiz scene as her had actually landed a spot with an agent as talented as Shelby Corcoran, but she certainly wasn't going to pass it by, especially when Shelby agreed to take Kurt on as well. They were interrupted by a knock on the door and Paul, Shelby's P.A stuck his head round the door.

"Sorry to interrupt you Miss Corcoran but I just wanted to let Miss Berry know that Quinn is here to pick her up."

As he retreated, he spared a wink for the little diva who grinned happily at the welcome surprise, turning to Shelby, Rachel spread her hands out to the side as if to prove her point.

"_See_, her training is definitely kicking in!"

Laughing in her deep-throated way, the older woman stood up and opened the door to show Rachel out to the waiting area, where Quinn and Paul were bickering about something neither brunette could make sense of.

"Paul, come on! Don't get me wrong, I'm all for writers following their artistic vision but the fact is you don't promise a crapload of options and varied conclusions when all you have really developed is a basic shake and bake bull shit ending!"

Paul smirked as he watched Rachel walk up and lightly cuff Quinn round the back of her head for swearing, flushing the blonde glared at the smirking man behind his desk.

"You could have warned me!"

He waved a hand dismissively.

"And ruin my fun? I don't _think _so…besides which, you're just annoyed because you can't figure out what the ending means!"

Rolling her hazel eyes, Quinn helped herself to one of the donuts from the plate on Paul's desk…she didn't even get it halfway to her mouth before Rachel intercepted it and returned it to the porcelain. Pouting, Quinn put her hands in her pockets before replying.

"That's what everyone who is trying to be all deep and artistic says, and I DO get what they were going for and for the most part it works…apart from that bull…um hickey with the Normandy, can you honestly tell me that bit made sense?"

Throwing his hands up in surrender, Paul retreated to the safety of the small kitchen, calling over his shoulder.

"She's _your _problem now Rach!"

Shaking her head fondly, Quinn turned to her fiancée and leaning down the scant inch height difference between them, kissed her softly.

"Hey, hope you don't mind Rae, I just…got up early for once and I thought maybe we could go for a walk in the park on the way to the Doc's?"

Biting her lower lip softly, the brunette nodded and reached up for another kiss before sighing irritably.

"Excellent idea baby, but right now your children are playing with my bladder like a squeeze toy…again! So after a trip to the bathroom, the park it is."

Rachel promptly dashed off for the small bathroom next to the kitchen leaving Shelby and Quinn alone together. The blonde fought the urge to fidget; there was something about Shelby that always made her feel like she was being weighed up by the woman, judged. Clearing her throat, she rummaged through her mind for a topic of conversation, before she could say anything however the other woman spoke.

"I hear you've been working a lot more."

Bristling slightly, Quinn frowned but nodded ever so slightly.

"Yes, before this thing happened with those diaries I found, I committed to a lot of extra shifts to start saving for things for the babies. Although strictly speaking finances aren't a major issue anymore, I didn't want to back out of something I'd agreed to."

She wasn't sure what bugged her more, the fact that Shelby was all but interrogating her, or the fact that she felt the need to explain herself to the woman.

"Hmm, well…just remember your first and foremost commitment is to Rachel and your babies."

Opening her mouth to object, probably quite harshly, she was cut off when Rachel returned, almost skipping with the news she hadn't had a chance to tell Quinn yet. Backing down, the pilot settled for shooting a mild affronted glare at the older brunette (who raised an unimpressed eyebrow in response) before turning to her diva.

"So, do you reckon the peanut's will give you enough of a break to go for a walk, may as well enjoy the sun while it's here huh?"

Nodding, Rachel laced her fingers through Quinn's and turned to Shelby, giving her one last one armed hug.

"Thank you again Shelby, let me know the details when you get them!"

Waving one last time, the older woman watched the couple walk out and with a heavy sigh bellowed for Paul to bring her a coffee. Outside, Quinn opened Rachel's car door for her and then jogged round to the driver's side, hopping in she chuckled at the firecracker energy the little diva was giving off.

"Rach, whatever it is you _need _to let it out before you explode! Come on you can tell me as we drive to the park."

There were several bystanders that day, ranging from parents walking children to nursery schools to business men hurrying to the nearest Starbucks. And every single one of them who chose the same route that Rachel's jeep took bore witness to the fact the tiny vehicle was almost bunny hopping down the road while the two women inside yelled and cheered happily. Years later, they would recognise it as one of the tales recounted by Rachel Berry in her autobiography, for now they figured it was two women who'd self medicated just a little too much! They were both still grinning like loons as Quinn pulled into a parking space expertly and ran round to open Rachel's door for her, helping her out.

"I always knew you were amazing baby, now the world will know too…maybe Shelby isn't such a harpy after all."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel swiped at Quinn's arm as they headed into the park.

"I wish you wouldn't call her that baby, she's the best thing to happen to my career and she's always really nice."

Grunting something, the blonde dug some change out of her pocket and brought them a pretzel each from the vendor at the entrance. Once they were strolling along hand in hand the pilot shrugged a shoulder unable to quite vocalise how she felt around the older woman.

"She's nice to _you _but I always feel like she's judging me, like maybe she thinks I'm not good enough for you…and I know you're going to say I'm paranoid but I swear, whenever we're alone, she looks at me like a CSI would look at a fibre sample."

Finishing the last bite of her pretzel, Rachel licked her fingers clean, then, turning to her fiancée took a deep breath before saying.

"Quinn I love you, but _yeah_…you're paranoid!"

Mock scowling, the pilot poked her tongue out…complete with half eaten pretzel, and then had to swiftly run off as the diva tried to chastise her for bad manners. Giggling, the two of them collapsed into each other's arms on a bench and just sat quietly together watching the parents with their children, each with a hand resting on the diva's bump. When they reached the Doc's office, Quinn was a bundle of over excited nerves again as she paced the room impatiently, Rachel's amused voice caused her to halt.

"Hey, why are _you _so nervous, _I'm _the one up on the table with my leg's in stirrups! You wanna trade?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, the pilot forced herself to sit down on the stool next to her girlfriend, taking one hand she smiled ruefully.

"Sorry sweetheart it's just…last time, because I fainted, I never really got a good look but now they're all formed and stuff and you can see them right? I mean I think I was reading the right book…wasn't I?"

Chuckling lightly, the diva squeezed the babbling pilot's hand but had no chance to verbally reassure her as their Doctor walked in with his usual cheery smile, a Daffy Duck tie this time though.

"And how are you both doing, have there been any problems, things that have concerned you?"

Rachel opened her mouth to reply but before she had chance to talk, Quinn burst out.

"Her morning sickness is _real _bad and it's at night, is there anything she can take for that, because by bad I mean exorcist bad! And they aren't kicking yet either, I mean I know the books say it's like twenty weeks plus but with multiple births most things start early so I figured that…"

She stopped when she saw Dr. Wesley raise a hand for her to pause, she chewed on her lower lip nervously, watching as he walked over to one of the cupboards. Moments later he came back and handed her a tootsie pop. Seeing Quinn frowning in confusion, he smiled gently.

"Take a deep breath, suck on your candy and calm down before you pass out again kiddo."

Scowling slightly, Quinn nonetheless did exactly as he asked (well it _was _cherry flavoured after all), once he saw she had subsided, he turned to Rachel and raised an eyebrow. Smiling, the brunette spared a wink for the sulking pilot before speaking.

"She's right about the morning sickness, I _am _getting it in the evening and it's pretty intense but I'm doing what I can by natural means…ginger ale and saltine's, that sort of thing. Apart from that things seem to be going okay, well, as okay as they can be with three children playing with my bladder constantly."

Dr Wesley nodded his head in sympathy and started the usual round of tests, asking his questions as he went. Quinn for the most part behaved, listening intently to everything he said but remaining quiet when he spoke with Rachel. Until it came time for the scan that was, by that point she'd finished her tootsie pop and the excitement had kicked in again, taking one of Rachel's hands, she stood so she could crane closer to the monitor which the Dr hadn't even turned on yet and almost squeaked as she spoke to Rachel.

"We're going to see the peanuts up close and personal baby!"

The blonde's excited whisper made Doc Wesley and Rachel grin widely, the brunette lay her forehead on Quinn's for a long moment before pulling back to give her an Eskimo kiss.

"I know."

Trying not to wince at the seemingly ice cold gel the Dr spread over her belly, Rachel gripped Quinn's hand tightly as the wand was moved over her bump. They both gasped as they caught sight of the first foetus, by the time they could make out all three distinct peanut's, there were tears flowing down both their faces. Clearing his throat softly, Dr. Wesley passed them the box of tissues with his free hand and spoke gently.

"Do you wish to know the sex of your babies?"

Rachel went to shake her head but then bit her lip and turned to Quinn who was still wiping her eyes.

"I know I'd rather keep it as a surprise but…what about you sweetheart, did you want to know?"

Chewing on her lower lip for a long moment in intense concentration, Quinn eventually let out a long breath and shook her head.

"No, I think I agree with you babe, besides we wanted to go for gender neutral stuff anyway right? And aside from that it gives us more options when it comes to names, three boys names and three girls names, all I need to hear is that they are all healthy and growing okay."

At that they both pinned their gazes on Dr. Wesley who immediately nodded cheerfully.

"They all seem to be growing well and there are no visible issues, one of them is a little smaller than the others but that's to be expected in multiple birth pregnancies."

With that settled, both women relaxed immensely, something Dr. Wesley was thankful for as trying to talk to babbling Quinn was almost impossible. After going through the list of things they should be looking out for and making the next set of appointments they needed, Wesley sent them on the way. Not without handing over another tootsie pop to Quinn for behaving, Rachel tried her very hardest not to laugh at his gentle teasing and although the blonde narrowed her eyes…she still took the treat. The rest of the day was all about the simple things between the two of them, Rachel _finally _got Quinn to make the choices on the colours for the wall's of the three children's rooms. They had lunch at their favourite diner where the patrons all wanted to touch the bump and Rachel grinned proudly the whole time.

The evening was spent curled up on the new leather corner unit watching the episodes of American Dad and Family Guy that were on the hard drive. Rachel suffered through her evening sickness but between throwing up, she lay with her head in Quinn's lap while the blonde gently ran one hand over the diva's belly in a way that seemed to soothe her. Once that passed however, the pilot was dragged upstairs for an 'early night' that all but wrecked her, the horny pregnancy stage had _definitely _kicked in. The next morning, Quinn winced as she woke up, as much as she would never object to all the sex, her body was reminding her that actions had consequences, painful ones. Slipping quietly from the bed, she turned back to press a soft kiss first to her sleeping diva's temple then the bump which housed their children. Stifling a yawn, she wandered into the bathroom and went through the usual morning rituals on auto pilot. For the first time in a very long time, all she wanted to do was phone in sick, get back into bed and waste a day doing nothing with the woman she loved.

Checking her watch she swore mentally, with the way traffic was she would _never _get to work on time if she took the jeep. So despite the fact that she knew it would worry Rachel, she had to take the bike, sighing she scribbled a quick note of apology and left it on the kitchen table. Grabbing the crash helmet she headed out, justifying the lack of a proper breakfast with the running late excuse, besides they always had pastries and coffee at the station, _bad _coffee but it still contained caffeine. Just as she knew it would be, traffic was tight as hell and she couldn't quite conceal her smirk at being able to weave the Ducatti in and out of it effortlessly. Some of that smugness evaporated as she pulled into the employee parking lot and immediately saw Santana scowling. Bracing herself for the inevitable lecture, the pilot immobilised the bike and walked over towards her pissed off friend with the helmet tucked under her arm, sure enough…

"What the _hell _Fabray, you know Berry is going to pitch a fit when she realises you're on what she refers to as 'that death trap' I'm beginning to think you do this shit on purpose."

Rolling her eyes and fighting down an irrational swell of impatience, Quinn held one hand up.

"Just ease down on the angry would you Lopez? I was running late okay and the jeep wouldn't have gotten me here on time, that's _all _this is about. Why are you hanging around out here anyway, shouldn't you be up with the other cops rather than down here with the minions?"

As she had hoped, the question deflected the last of the Latina's irritation and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, when my best friend _is _a minion it makes it hard…plus I brought you down some real coffee and a donut, just don't tell Rachel."

Groaning in almost orgasmic delight, Quinn eagerly took the bag and cup from her friends hand after resting her helmet on the floor at her feet. She was two bites in when something occurred to her.

"Wait a second…what's with the nice gesture here? Don't get me wrong, we're friends yeah, but I've been working here months now and you've never done this before?"

Shifting slightly and looking uncharacteristically nervous, Santana shrugged a shoulder.

"There might be something…that I maybe wanted your help with, yeah?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn demolished the rest of the donut before motioning with her hand for the Latina to just go ahead and spit it out.

"Brit's car is sort of dead in the drive and I thought I _might _be able to do something with it…I _did _do something, but what that something was, well…let's just say I made it worse somehow and now I'm not sure where anything goes! You know how much she loves that damn bug and if it's still bust when she gets back from L.A, she's gonna cry."

Smirking slightly, the pilot shook her head whilst finishing the latte, she did like working on old cars after all. And the old style VW bugs were what she had learnt on so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for her either.

"Fine, but you owe me coffee and donuts every morning for a month!"

Scowling slightly for effect, the Latina grudgingly nodded, in truth it was a price she was more than willing to pay because even the thought of how Brittany's face would fall if she learnt her beloved bug had died killed her a little bit on the inside.

"Fine, but _don't _tell the dwarf I'm supplying you with carbs and caffeine, you know how she gets."

They shared a look of common long suffering at that as both their partners lectured them daily on the importance of a balanced diet. For a few moments, they just drank their coffee's in a comfortable silence, watching patrol cars pull in and out of the lot, eventually Quinn cleared her throat.

"San…can I ask you something, it's sort of sensitive I guess, in like a criminal way, but, I might have stumbled on something accidentally."

Immediately Santana Lopez the friend was replaced by Detective Lopez the dedicated cop and sharp brown eyes focused on nervous hazel ones before barking one low word.

"Explain."

Draining the last of her coffee, Quinn internally cursed herself for ever opening her mouth and wondered how the hell she could word this without letting out the whole story.

"Crimes with…kids, specifically the sale of them, I mean that's more prevalent than most people know right?"

Without waiting for a reply, the blonde ploughed on.

"I mean, I was watching this documentary about it and some of the things they were mentioning reminded me of this kids home I know of. This home only takes kids who have no one at all, like not even extended family, I mean at first that's not suspicious right? But…say hypothetically a kid that _did _have family ended up there on a temporary basis because of over crowding. If they made friends with one of the other kids who had a new 'home' arranged for them, and then after that kid left they couldn't be contacted, that would be suspicious right? I mean hypothetically speaking that kid asking questions would be difficult for anyone involved in criminal acts, and if they disappeared it would be safe to assume the home wasn't legit?"

Realising that only half of that word vomit (if that) would make sense, she hoped that Santana would assume she was just getting hyper nervous about stuff like this with kids of her own on the way. However, when she chanced a look at her friend, she got caught in an extremely thoughtful, serious gaze, swallowing she looked away again and waited until finally the Latina spoke.

"I would say…hypothetically…that it sounded extremely suspicious and that if you did have any information about a situation like that then you should hand it over to trained investigators."

There was a chilly silence between the two old friends, eventually nodding Quinn reached down to scoop up her helmet and head inside, Santana's hand on her elbow stopped her.

"Quinn…as a cop I can't emphasise how important it would be to let official channels handle this…as a _friend _I'm going to hope that you're asking because you're worried about your own kids and tell you that, that is what cops like me are there to stop."

Sensing the very real concern in her friend's voice, Quinn looked across and after a long pause felt she had to ask.

"And if the hypothetical…_wasn't _hypothetical?"

She actually saw something like real fear flash through the Latina's eyes at that, and when Santana spoke it was in a low serious tone that Quinn had never heard her use before.

"I would point out that these people make a _lot _of money, I'm talking billions, they take a lot of risks and they have no qualms about getting rid of anyone they think might be on to them. For organisations like this to exist, they have to have help from the top down, that means some very powerful people are involved so I say again…if you know of something like this, if you had some kind of proof we could use then you should hand it over to the people who have the resources to handle it…if not you could get yourself killed."

Stuck in her friend's gaze, Quinn found herself nodding slightly before she looked away and shrugged a shoulder trying to play it off. It wasn't that she hadn't suspected how bad something like this could be, but hearing it like that from Santana made it all kinds of real.

"Hey…I just worried myself stupid over the documentary I guess and I started looking at stuff that happened locally because like you said…with kids on the way, you start worrying about everyone and everything, even the kindly old lady down the road, it's crazy…I'm sorry."

Relaxing slightly, but not entirely because whether she liked it or not, Santana knew her very well and knew there was most likely something else at the root of this. For now however, she was willing to let it go and hope that Quinn wouldn't try anything stupid if it was more than a passing moment of crazy.

"Fine, just don't go all Nancy Drew on me okay Fabray? Last thing I need is to be pulling your ass out of jail."

Smiling more naturally now that they were on the more familiar territory of gently mocking each other, the blonde headed inside calling over her shoulder as she went.

"Don't worry Lopez, I know it's _really _the thought of having to tell my short girlfriend what happened that really scares you, your secret is safe with me!"

That last barrage of words was called out loudly and many of the uniformed officers and other mechanics who had seen Quinn's wallet picture of the diminutive Rachel laughed out loud. She could still hear Santana swearing at her as she entered the locker room! Several hours later and Quinn was finishing up with the last of the oil top up's on the patrol cars, she had been waiting for a chance to hit the records room and it looked like she was about to get it. Most of the rest of the mechanics were already in the break room for lunch and if it was Violet on the desk to the records room downstairs then she had to play her card now. Wiping her oily hands on her coveralls, she headed into the station and instead of turning right and up towards the employee lockers and break room, she went left and down towards the cold cases and records room. Sure enough, Violet was sat there twiddling her thumbs and staring morosely at her empty coffee mug.

When Quinn had first started at the station, she had accidentally met Violet over a tussle for the last chocolate glazed donut, they split it and she soon found herself chatting animatedly with the young Hispanic who was attending law classes at night school. Quinn couldn't even imagine her in a courtroom, she was an inch or so shorter than Rachel and wore her long black hair in a sideways ponytail. However she was sharply intelligent and had a wicked sense of humour that the pilot appreciated. They had made friends swiftly and although Quinn hadn't known she worked in the records room, she knew it would come in handy at one time. Now was that time and burying the feelings of guilt down deep, she made her way over to the desk smiling.

"Hey there, you run out of that rocket fuel you call coffee again short ass?"

Face breaking into a pleasant grin, Violet held her hands out as though Quinn had answered her prayers.

"You have excellent timing blondie! I know it's not strictly speaking allowed but you would so be doing me a solid if you watched the desk for five minutes or so…just so I can top up my life's blood and grab some junk food?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and pretended to think about it.

"Come on mija, I promise I'll bring you back some of those vile twinkies you like?"

Grinning widely, Quinn made her way behind the desk and fishing out a dollar from the coveralls pocket, dropped it in her friend's hand.

"Don't forget the root beer you cheap skate!"

Batting her eyelashes, Violet flipped her hair over her shoulder and feigned innocence.

"But I heard you were a cheap date blondie?"

Mock scowling, Quinn pointed a warning finger.

"Not _that _cheap Vi! Now be nice or I'll hide your foot stool."

Laughing, the shorter woman headed off towards the break room, when Quinn was sure she had gone (by listening out for the door at the top of the stairs to open and close), she bolted into the actual room where, as she had suspected, several detectives had left themselves logged in while they went up to refresh their drinks or grab a sandwich. Sliding into an empty and still warm seat, she minimised the open search window and started her own search on the Serenity Children's shelter.

"Where the hell are you when I need you Gaby!"

She muttered under her breath as she sent the resulting articles to the printer rapidly, she found an article on the shelter itself and its backers, the organiser…and then she paused having forgotten the name of the nurse there that J.D had mentioned, as luck would have it, a voice promptly sounded by her ear.

"You called Sherlock?"

Biting down the yelp of surprise, Quinn whirled in her seat to find Gaby and an equally as amused J.D. stood behind her.

"Funny guys, real funny…now if you've finished messing around, we need to hurry, I'm not going to have much longer in here and I feel bad as it is."

Nodding a suddenly solemn head, Gaby turned to J.D.

"Do you remember that nurse's name kiddo? I mean she might still be there, most likely is if it's the same operation, but we need to make sure."

Nodding her head, J.D. creased her brow in thought before speaking, she didn't want to get this wrong either.

"We all just called her Nurse Davies but Mr. Sawyer called her Sally."

She smiled hopefully, a smile that widened when Quinn grinned and winked at her.

"Good job hot shot!"

She started typing rapidly bringing up everything she could on Sally Davies and Gareth Sawyer, tax records, bank details, employment history, criminal record…anything and everything she could think of. She was still sending documents to the printer when she heard J.D mutter.

"You're welcome Montana."

Glancing over at that, Quinn smiled as she closed her search windows she'd opened and restored the one that was up before hand, then headed over to the busily whirring printer.

"Montana huh?"

The teen smirked and shoving her hands into her pockets shrugged.

"Yeah, well you're the only chick I know of that was cool enough to try out for football, that means you deserve a cool nickname and you seem to like Joe Montana so it fits…don't you think?"

There was an almost veiled hint of uncertainty in J.D.'s voice so Quinn grinned widely and swiftly swapped the seat she had been sitting in with one at an empty monitor as she nodded.

"Definitely a cool nickname hot shot…now let's get out front before someone comes down and notices the half a rainforest I've printed out."

As the pilot snatched the printed sheets from the printer, she folded them and tucked them neatly into her coveralls; J.D. looked at her questioningly then back into the records room.

"How come you swapped the chairs round?"

Smirking slightly at that bit of subterfuge, the blonde explained.

"Well it would still be warm if he or she comes back in the next few minutes which would indicate someone had sat there and used it, but if I swap it round it's cold, the way it should be."

Reluctantly impressed, J.D. raised an eyebrow.

"Sneaky, I like it!"

Gaby rolled her eyes and shoved lightly at the teenager's shoulder, J.D just shoved back with a grin and widened her eyes as if to say 'what?'. In answer to the silent question, the redheaded spectre pointed at Quinn who was still smirking.

"Don't encourage her kiddo, she already has a big enough head!"

She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry when she heard both her best friend and the teenage ghost snort in stereo, instead Gaby settled for just shaking her head again and muttering under her breath. At that point, Quinn heard the door at the top of the stairwell opening and turned to the two ghosts.

"I'm going to clock out early today so we can get somewhere to examine these…can't be at my place cos Rachel is there, tell you what, meet me at that café at the end of the street okay? They have a booth in the far back and they are _never _busy, we can use that without people thinking I'm talking to thin air."

Nodding, the two promptly disappeared, Quinn mentally patted herself on the back when she realised she hadn't jumped slightly like she usually did…now she just had to get used to the sudden appearances and she was set! The smell of the tar-like coffee hit her nostrils before she actually saw Violet and she couldn't help but grin when she realised the woman had brought the entire pot down with her.

"Stocking up?"

Setting down the tray, which contained the pot, a cup and saucer as well as various snack things, Violet grinned happily back.

"Hell yeah! I took the chance while I had it…now, you got your twinkie but I also got you a diet root beer and a roasted vegetable wrap."

At Quinn's less than impressed face, Violet tutted and handed the packages over to her with a smile.

"Don't pout mija you know it's for your own good and you have babies on the way! You should be looking after yourself and your chica."

Rolling her eyes, the pilot dug into her cake first, Violet rolled her eyes but made sure that Quinn ate the wrap as well as they sat and talked about work, her law coursework and family life in general. After lunch, the blonde said goodbye and heading upstairs washed up and changed out of her coverall's, slipping the papers she had printed off into her rucksack. Clocking off with an apologetic shrug to her supervisor (who waved it off as she had already worked her requisite hours and was in overtime anyway), Quinn walked out and decided to walk the bike down to the café as it was hardly worth revving it up for a ninety second journey. The café, which wasn't one of the most welcoming, was as quiet as Quinn had predicted, settling into the back booth, Quinn ordered a coffee and a slice of pie before dragging the paperwork out. She was still separating it into piles when J.D. appeared next to her.

"Hey hot shot…where's Gaby?"

Shrugging a shoulder, the teen started looking over the papers curiously, something that made Quinn very glad she hadn't printed out any of the stuff she'd looked up last night about child selling.

"She said she had something important she had to do but that I could come for now, I just had to think about where you were and I appeared here…kinda cool huh?"

Quinn masked her frown and agreed that it was indeed cool, while the majority of her mind found it necessary to remind her loudly that Gaby had claimed spirits _couldn't _appear to her without Gaby herself being present. Shaking off her confusion, she started to go through the papers, which concentrated on the home itself and it's financing and backers. In front of J.D., she laid out the papers on Sawyer and Davies.

"Tell me when you want the pages turned okay hot shot, and also if you see anything that links the two of them, apart from the home. Maybe they worked together before, or they have another name in common, anything that gets your spidey senses tingling, let me know."

Snorting slightly, J.D. shook her head but started reading, over an hour later and they knew several things they hadn't known before. Firstly, the powers behind the shelter were far from clean, they had been traced to a shell company but could be traced no further than that. There had been several spot inspections to try and find discrepancies but nothing had ever been found. The only black mark against the house was J.D.'s (Jodie Dean, Quinn now realised) death, and as that had been ruled a suicide, there was nothing to really make the place stand out. Apparently, both Sawyer and Davies had testified that J.D was very low and morose and they had worried about her for a while but the child herself had pushed them away and refused to talk. When the teen read this, she snorted loudly.

"That's bullshit you know, I might not have wanted to talk to them but there is no way I was depressed, I was angry yeah…but not like killing myself sad. I just wanted to be back with my folks, that was all."

She trailed off and Quinn looked up from where she was shuffling the papers back together, she really wished she could just reach out and hug the kid, whether J.D wanted her to or not. Instead, she cleared her throat and nodded understandingly.

"I get it…I mean, maybe not the whole angry thing but, the being away from your family bit does suck, mine was my own fault though, at least you didn't do anything to cause you being taken away J.D."

Rolling her eyes, the teen muttered something under her breath.

"Hey, I'm not just stringing you along J.D. I mean it…you didn't do anything wrong okay? None of what happened was your fault; not even getting killed was your fault. And when I prove it, you have to tell me how great I am and admit I was right all along."

At the implied challenge, J.D. actually grinned again.

"Listen up Montana, I may admit to you being right but as for how great you are…I don't think I ever said great, cool I admitted to. For you to be great, you would have had to actually _gotten _onto the football team and played a game."

Narrowing her eyes playfully, Quinn just shook her head and slid the last of the papers into her bag before turning to finish her (third) slice of pie. It was then she heard the distinct sound of someone face palming and as she looked up J.D. was wide-eyed and almost shaking with excitement.

"I just…I remembered something else! You asked me if I ever saw them acting weird and I just remembered I did…it was like, the day after I asked them about writing to Gracie! We were in the office and Mr. Sawyer was being a douche again, I did lose my temper and kicked his desk which I'd done like loads of times before, but this time a bit of the desk came away and he went major ballistic about it, screaming at me and threatening to spank me if I didn't get the hell out of his office."

Something sparked in the back of Quinn's brain and she _knew _this would be the one thing, the thing that could help her prove Jodi's murder, and maybe bring down something far more sinister as well. Trying not to get too excited, she leant forward and drained the last of the bitter and now cold coffee.

"If you were back in his office and saw that desk…do you think you could remember _where _exactly it came apart that made him go ballistic."

Frowning for a moment with her eyes squinted shut in thought, the teen then opened them and smiled.

"Yeah…I'm pretty sure I can, but…how are you going to get in there, I mean if these are bad guys then they aren't exactly going to let you loose in their office are they?"

Sitting back in the booth again for a long moment, the pilot thought hard and fast, there had to be a solution that wouldn't get her into too much trouble, it was all about misdirection…she just had to work out what direction she wanted them to go in. Rubbing her jaw, she smiled.

"I might have an idea…I need to fine tune it but I could really do with Gaby's help, I also think the faster we get this done the better because if these guys are as bad, or as connected as San says then they're going to know sooner rather than later that someone has been looking into them."

J.D frowned in concern at that and chewed her lower lip.

"But you're gonna be careful right though Montana? I mean you're not going to let them kill you too."

Smiling reassuringly, Quinn held her hands up in the girls' scout salute.

"Scout's honour hot shot."

The distraction worked and laughing, J.D. slid out of the booth at the same time as the pilot, after Quinn paid and made it onto the street, she couldn't resist saying.

"There's no way _you _were ever a girl scout Montana!"

Smirking, Quinn just shrugged a shoulder.

"It shall remain my secret…now go see what Gaby is doing, tell her I need her, between you and me I need to get this done tonight if I can figure out how, just tell her to be ready okay?"

Saluting sloppily, J.D's eyes twinkled for a moment before she disappeared, seconds later Quinn's smile dropped and she allowed the fear that had been residing at the base of her spine to uncoil for a moment. She might want to do everything she could to help J.D., hell she _would _do anything….but, after seeing the sort of things these people were capable of she had to be stupid not to admit to her fear. As she fastened her crash helmet, she couldn't help but think, if they were willing to kill a twelve-year-old kid then what the hell would they do to _her _if she got caught.


	8. Chapter 8

Consciousness returned slowly, and brought with it pain, a _lot _of pain…so much so it was hard to pinpoint where exactly it radiated from. Keeping her eyes closed for the moment, Quinn took shallow breaths and tried to figure out what hurt the most; she had the headache from hell while her stomach wanted to throw up anything that might be left in it. The worst of the pain seemed to be on the right side of her head, as well as the deep throbbing lances of pain, there was a sticky dampness and stinging sensation. Swallowing slowly, she figured she needed to see just how bad the damage was…except when she went to move her hands she found she couldn't, fighting down the inevitable stab of panic and still not willing to face the possible pain of opening her eyes, she simply felt around as best she could. The result being…she was tied up, her hands secured to the arms of the chair she now realised she was in, that knowledge promptly caused the bottom of her stomach to fall out as a cold sweat started up…this was _bad_, about as bad as it could get in fact. Because if she _did _manage to live through whatever this was , then not only was Rachel going to kill her, but afterwards, Santana would raise her from the dead and kill her again…after appropriate time for torture of course.

_What the __**fuck **__had happened?_

In the background, she could faintly hear the sounds of people moving around and whispering furiously, she had no idea _what _they were actually saying but given her current situation she was relatively certain that whatever it was, it wasn't going to bode well for her. Forcing aside the pain that was boring persistently into her skull, the pilot quickly assessed the rest of her body by systematically flexing muscles and digits. Luckily nothing else felt broken or even bruised, so far it was just the pain in her head which…she still couldn't recall the cause of. However, the very fact she couldn't remember how it happened produced the inevitable conclusion that someone had knocked her out, now all she had to remember was when, where and why. Flexing her hands within their bonds quickly proved futile as they were securely tied and there was not a millimetre of slack in them. Swallowing again on a dry throat, Quinn risked opening one eye, only to discover that was just as futile a gesture as there was a blindfold round her head. This was getting worse by the second and willing the panic back down far enough to think clearly was hard…but worked, eventually. As soon as the panic was adequately quashed the memories started to come back, including exactly _how _she had managed to get herself into this situation in the first place.

_**Three hours earlier…**_

_Gaby was pacing agitatedly as she watched Quinn rummage through a garbage bag of old clothes round the back of a goodwill store. She personally thought this idea was stupid, idiotic and any other number of synonyms for crazy that she could think of. After taking that into consideration, the pilot had promptly dismissed her friend's concerns and decided to go ahead with the plan anyway, something that had proven as popular with the redhead as a hog roast at a bar mitzvah. Rolling her eyes at yet another pointed sigh from the irritated spectre behind her, Quinn turned round, absently shaking out a crumpled and frayed plaid shirt with a questionable stain down one side._

"_Gaby please…would you just trust me, I have this legacy thing because I know how to use it right?"_

_Propping her hands on her hips in a gesture of impatience and frustration that she had seen Quinn's fiancée use often, the ghost scowled._

"_Yes, though in your case they obviously forgot to include the wisdom needed to know how to use it __**properly**__…this is dangerous, you aren't a kid anymore Quinn and this isn't play acting!"_

_Returning the scowl, with interest, the pilot started stripping off her leather jacket and black shirt._

"_I think, considering I spent the afternoon with the ghost of a 12 year old kid they killed, that I'm well aware that this isn't a game Gabrielle."_

_Spine stiffening angrily at the use of her full name, the redhead crossed her arms and bit down on her first impulse, which was to lash out in return, instead she paused to gather her thoughts before carrying on._

"_Maybe I worded that incorrectly…I __**know **__how seriously you're taking this but I'm worried about you. Worried about what might happen to you if this all goes wrong, as much as I miss you being around 24/7, I don't want you dead!"_

_Pausing in the act of setting aside her own clothes, Quinn let out a long breath before shrugging into the plaid shirt, it was slightly too big but that was what she had been aiming for. As she turned round again to pick up the ripped and paint stained jeans that she had dragged from the bag earlier, she tried to vocalise exactly what she was feeling._

"_I know that this is dangerous…and maybe you see it as stupid, but the longer I wait the more these people are going to go to ground, I told you what Santana said right?"_

_Reluctantly, Gaby nodded and leant on the brick wall behind her as she watched her friend swap brand new jeans for the ones from the goodwill bag._

"_I know that, but it doesn't mean I can't worry does it? And what worries me most is that you haven't __**told **__anyone what you're doing! You didn't even go back and leave a note for Rachel…it's getting late and she's going to start worrying."_

_Waving her cell phone for a minute (well, the cheap plastic pre pay one she had picked up earlier) the pilot looked insulted._

"_I have this if anyone needs me and I sent her a message from my actual cell, I just said I was picking up an extra shift and I'd be home late…she won't worry, I do extra shifts all the time…and I left her this number as an emergency work number."_

_Running both hands through her cropped hair worriedly, Gaby shrugged a shoulder._

"_It just doesn't seem enough preparation…not for dealing with people like this, how do you know they're even going to buy your little costume drama if, or should I say when, they catch you?"_

_Rolling her eyes, Quinn just averted her gaze as she finished changing clothes…the truth was that if it all hit the fan and they __**didn't **__buy the act, then she was well and truly fucked. Fastening the jeans and securing an old USAF pea coat over the loose shirt, she hesitated for a moment._

"_Gaby…I don't know how else to do this, this is way out of my league and I'm not ashamed to admit that. They killed J.D, they ruined her entire family with that one violent act and no one with the power to look further than the obvious has bothered doing so. That's why I'm needed; you said so yourself, I'm here to help the ones that got forgotten, the ones whose voices were never heard. I could lie and tell you this is a foolproof plan, one I know will work and that the risk is negligible…but I'm not going to do that."_

_Pausing, she sat down to trade the leather boots for the old scuffed up army pair she'd picked up in the surplus store on the way here. Glancing across at Gaby, she could tell that despite the still present disapproving frown she was actually listening, so she carried on._

"_I have to do this, and I have to do it __**this **__way…sadly I'm all too familiar with acting like a drunk, all I'm doing is taking it one step further. It's not an ideal situation and I'm putting temptation directly in my path, but here's why. If they have help from on high like Santana says then they will know very soon that someone has been looking into them, into the history of the house and especially where their financial backing comes from. If I wait then they will be on their guard more than usual and I'll never find anything that can help J.D…or the numerous amounts of other children that have been used and abused. If however, I take a chance and go in tonight then even if I do get caught, I can play it off the way we discussed."_

_Unable to stay silent any longer, Gaby pushed herself off the wall and started pacing angrily again, it wasn't that she didn't think all of those points were valid, if anything she actually agreed…but the danger involved was still almost too much and she just wanted to make sure that Quinn understood __**exactly **__what she was risking._

"_Q…I get why you're doing it, I honestly do, if you pushed me I might even admit that it's the best chance we have to get in there and get a hold of what might be the most inflammatory piece of evidence they have, but you're also my best friend who is engaged to be married and expecting three children, what kind of person would I be if I let you just walk into this without at least trying to put you off?"_

_Smiling slightly, Quinn spared a wink for the distressed spectre before pulling the last part of her 'persona' from the rucksack on the floor. This was where she paused and almost changed her mind…because to do this next part she had to put trust in the one person she always found she couldn't…herself._

"_One last chance to back out Sherlock?"_

_Oddly, Gaby offering her a way out did the trick and she stood straight, cracking the seal on the bottle of bourbon, despite all the shit she had gone through in Juvie because of alcohol, she still felt her mouth watering as the familiar smell hit her nostrils. Gritting her teeth, she slipped the jacket off and letting it rest in the mud and city grime of the alley started to splash the cheap amber liquid on like aftershave. Her best friend wrinkled her nose and tried to lighten the mood somewhat._

"_Well I guess one advantage of this disguise is that I won't have to watch your back for people trying to take advantage of you in a dark alley…that stuff stinks!"_

_Grinning wider, the pilot winked as she splashed the liquor liberally down the shirt and rubbed it into her hands before running them through her hair._

"_Hey, if I'm meant to pass myself off as an opportunistic alcoholic thief then I need to smell like one! With that, my father's dog tags and the convenient scarring I can easily pass off myself off as a damaged veteran…even if it turns my stomach to do so when there are so many real vets out there, still, if it helps J.D then I'll do it."_

_Eventually there was only half a bottle left and this was the part of the disguise that involved sacrificing a little part of herself. Letting out a deep breath, she glanced across to Gaby and forced a smile, the redhead chewed the inside of her cheek anxiously, muttering._

"_I swear to god if you end up drinking seriously again, I'll kick your ass myself…all the way to Santana's house and let her straighten you out! Oh! Actually I just thought of something, those dog tags have your __**father's **__date of birth on them, not yours."_

_Smiling grimly, Quinn patted the items in question before replying._

"_The date is one of the things almost scratched away, certainly enough that I can get away with it…__**if **__they even bother to check, chances are when they realise I'm just a drunk looking to steal to fund my next drink, they'll just call the cops, and once I'm at the station I can ask for Santana then reveal what I was doing, that won't be a problem."_

_Folding her arms again and slightly annoyed at the fact she thought she had poked a reasonable hole in Quinn's so called master plan, Gaby murmured._

"_Yeah, or they could just kick the shit out of you and dump you in an alley somewhere!"_

_Swallowing nervously at that, the pilot forced herself to remain casual as she shrugged a shoulder looking back down at the bourbon._

"_If it comes to that then firstly I have you to see where they dump me, and secondly my experiences in Juvie will hold me in good stead…I know how to take a beating if I need to Gaby, don't worry so much. You even said yourself that you agree we have to move quickly on this so let's just do it."_

_Torn between wanting to agree and just get it over with or calling the whole thing off, the redhead heaved a huge sigh but eventually nodded._

"_Fine, I said I'll go along with this and I will but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, are you sure that after all this time sober that isn't going to knock you on your ass?"_

_Swirling the liquid in the bottle, Quinn pursed her lips and eventually shook her head._

"_No, sadly it would take a lot more than this to impair my judgement which works in our favour two ways, firstly it means the hangover the day after won't be as bad and secondly it won't get in my way while I work…let's just hope I'm as strong as I think I am."_

_The last part was muttered and before she could second-guess herself she raised the bottle and started to drain it. A part of her revelled in the feel of the liquor as it burned it__'__s way down her throat and into her belly, it actually wept in joy at tasting something it had been denied for too long. The other part of her, the main part, wanted to spit it out immediately but she couldn't, not if she was going to do this right and hopefully without getting herself killed. Although the disappointment she knew Rachel would feel and the inevitable argument with Santana were crushing her inside, she also knew it was the best chance of doing what she had to do before passing it on to the authorities. Trying hard not to allow herself to enjoy or savour the bourbon, she quickly drained the remainder of the bottle, gargling the last two mouthfuls whilst trying to ignore the way Gaby was muttering under her breath. Throwing the bottle away, she put her good clothes and chucks into her rucksack before passing them to the redhead who took them wordlessly._

"_I'm making my way out towards the home now, stash the bag in the bike's lockbox and I'll call you when I'm inside…and __**don't **__forget to bring J.D with you, I need her to point out to me where exactly I should be looking once in the office."_

_Forcing a smile despite her doubts Gaby nodded, accepting the rucksack with one hand while the other patted Quinn reassuringly on the shoulder._

"_Just, watch your back Fabray…and call me the __**moment **__you're in that damn office, you hear me!"_

_Dashing off a sloppy salute, the pilot turned on her heel and started the mile or so walk towards the home. It was too warm for the jacket really, especially when walking that far, though again that merely fed into her cover story as she would sweat more and the reek of alcohol coming off of her would increase. By the time she got to the Serenity Children's Shelter the majority of the windows were in darkness, the staff members were mostly in the small addition at the back of the house that served as the rec room. Rubbing her jaw and hunkering down in a gap she found in the hedgerow surrounding the home to wait a while, Quinn found herself wiping her mouth with the back of her hand more often, a gesture from her drinking days that indicated when she was fighting the craving. Forcing her hands down and into her pockets, the pilot yawned widely and got comfortable, at some point she must have drifted off because when she opened her eyes again it was full dark and __**all **__the windows were either darkened or only illuminated by the muted light of bedside lamps. Moving carefully, she checked the time on the cheap cell phone (she'd left her watch off, figuring a drunk would have already pawned theirs) 12.32, yup, definitely time to make a move! Emerging carefully from her hidden patch, the pilot made her way very quietly towards the window that she had been informed of by J.D was always left open by some of the older kids who liked to sneak out. Smiling in relief, she reached in fully and unlatched it before slipping deftly inside, moving carefully to the door to make sure there was no one nearby, she headed straight to the desk and whisper shouted._

"_Gaby, J.D…come on you assholes, let's get this done!"_

_There was a moments silence then in the deafening silence of the dark office she heard a faint popping sound a moment before J.D's tired sounding voice piped up._

"_Keep your panties on Montana, I got here as fast as possible!"_

_Turning to face the teen ghost, Quinn smirked._

"_I don't wear panties hot shot, I wear boxers and they're fine, just want to get this done and get out before I get my ass handed to me!"_

_Smirking back, J.D slunk up to the desk and leaned on it as she tried to remember where she had hit the huge piece of furniture to get it to reveal it__'__s secret drawer. It took Quinn a moment to realise what, or rather who, __**wasn't **__there and she turned back to the kid whose brow was still furrowed in concentration._

"_Hey…where the hell is Gaby?"_

_Pausing to glance over at the pilot, J.D shrugged before running her hands along the seams of the desk thoughtfully._

"_I don't know, I heard you calling and just…did that thing she told me before, I figured she would arrive here at the same time, wait…I think I have it!"_

_The teen grinned and blew her bangs out of her eyes as she ran her hands over the front of the desk, between the two intricately carved legs._

"_It's just around here somewhere…I remember because I kicked the desk near the drawers on the left side and it sprang out."_

_Pointing dutifully to the side in question, Quinn decided that now wasn't the time to be ruminating over why Gaby had chosen not to turn up when the pilot really needed her. Biting the inside of her cheek in concentration the pilot hunkered down and ran her hands over the exact places she had seen the teen map out. She easily found the hidden compartment but not the method needed to open it…at least not without damaging the desk, and if this theft was going to go undetected then it __**had **__to be opened properly. At times like this she wished she had Brittany with her, all through school most people had assumed the blonde dancer was just as ditzy as she portrayed herself. The reality was that the woman was a freaking genius, especially at puzzles and right now Quinn could really do with the blonde's infallible logic. Swearing softly under her breath, she grabbed a paperclip from the pile of loose stationery on top of the desk, finding the catch, __she moved it around gingerly after straightening it out. After a few moments of frustrated fiddling the draw gave a silent click then slid open smoothly, letting out a breath she hadn__'t known she'd been holding onto, Quinn sat up and grinned triumphantly at the memory stick she found in there. This was what she would need and she knew it…anyone else would assume it was simply confidential data on the children and of course it was, just not the sort that was legal._

"_Nice work Montana, now what do we do…grab it and run?"_

_Shaking her head, Quinn reached into the inside pocket of the pea coat and extracted her own memory stick with a wink, she kept her voice to a whisper as she replied…one ear constantly attuned to the corridor in case of unexpected company._

"_If we took it, then they would realise that someone knew all their secrets and they'd start shutting down their operations piece by piece, making the information on this useless. Instead we're going to hide my copy of it in plain sight…so to speak."_

_Frowning slightly, J.D watched entranced as Quinn brought the laptop on the desk out of sleep mode, because it was for general office use there was no password and the pilot grinned before glancing across at the teen._

"_Go watch the door while I copy this information from one key to another."_

_Nodding, J.D leant on the doorframe, peering intently through the crack and down the corridor as she spoke._

"_Won't they be able to like, tell you've copied something though…on their history?"_

_Impressed by the kid's technical know how, Quinn moved her head from side to side before murmuring._

"_Normally yeah but I have a friend whose very clever at stuff like this…the memory key I brought along will leave a little virus behind, nothing deadly just something that rewrites the last few minutes of history, they'll never know."_

_Grinning widely, J.D shook her head._

"_You have some pretty cool friends Montana…but what if they find it __**on **__you, I mean if things go wrong they're gonna figure that a homeless person wouldn't need a memory key."_

_Willing the copying to speed up, Quinn just smirked as she grabbed one of the envelopes from the tray on the desk and began to scribble Tina's name and business address on it. _

"_Watch and learn kiddo, watch and learn!"_

_For a few minutes it was silent as J.D watched the entrance religiously and Quinn waited with itchy palms for the memory stick to stop its copying process. Once it finished, she extracted her own stick and let the virus reset the last used time on the laptop's history and the original memory stick. Slipping her own copy into the envelope, the pilot looked around before she found what she needed. As usual there was a pile of envelopes and parcels banded together ready to go to the post office, smirking she slid the envelope she had just addressed into the middle of the pile. Winking at the reluctantly impressed J.D Quinn turned back to the desk and closed the laptop before replacing the memory key and gently sliding the draw in until she heard the catch engage once again with a click. Standing up she felt an enormous weight fall from her shoulders…that was the hardest part done! Beckoning J.D over towards her, she stifled a yawn and wished once again that she could touch the kid, just a hand on her shoulder to thank her for acting as look out…but she couldn't._

"_Okay kiddo, I can take it from here, all I need from you now is to go and find Gaby, just let her know it's done and I'm on my way out of here, thanks hot shot, you're pretty frikkin cool yourself you know?"_

_Trying not to let her chest puff out with the praise, the teen just shrugged a shoulder and replied coolly._

"_Yeah…I know."_

_Grinning, Quinn rolled her eyes but pointed to the door, with an eye roll of her own the teen ghost disappeared and Quinn's slow creeping fear promptly came back…along with the exhilaration of getting away with something. Not that she was out of the woods yet, although the main point of the evenings plan had been accomplished she still had to play this out on the off chance she got caught on the way out. Turning back to the desk she rifled through it less carefully and picked up things a thief could easily pawn. An illuminated desk clock went in one pocket, a mobile phone from the desk drawer to the left and lastly she picked up the laptop, it was as she was standing from disengaging the machine from the power cord that she realised the office door was open wider than it had been before. Sadly she didn't get further than half raising from her crouch before something hard and heavy cracked into the side of her head…_

_**Present time…**_

So…_that _was how she got herself into this situation, flexing her hands within their bonds she swallowed down the sick feeling yet again, though how much of the nausea resulted from the head injury and how much was the beginnings of a hangover she couldn't be sure. It was then that the voices became discernible, she assumed it was because they were suddenly growing closer and forced herself to go limp again, feigning unconscious.

"Why the fuck did you knock her out you moron! She's just some drunk, _Christ_!"

The voice that had just spoken was masculine, quite obviously pissed off and looked to believe the persona she had adopted for the evening…surely they wouldn't kill her if that was the case? A hypothesis that was proven only a second later when the first voice continued.

"We should just dump her off in some alley, she won't remember where the hell she was and even if she does who's going to believe her?"

She had to force herself to keep breathing deeply and faking unconsciousness, even though with the first voice's insistence she wanted to hold her breath in anticipation of the other voice's answer, if they chose to dump her somewhere then she was home free!

"Not a chance, at least not without making sure, for all we know she's a damn undercover cop, did that even occur to you…she did try to take the laptop after all which is something those dumb fucks would be after, the rest could just be a cover."

Quinn's heart sank as the second voice was female, icily calm and _definitely _not willing to go on appearances alone…this was obviously the voice of whoever was in charge and it carried on in the same logical fashion.

"I knocked her out on impulse as she was someone who was attempting to steal from us, whether I made the right decision or not is yet to be decided. We'll wake her up and just ask a few simple questions, then if things _are _exactly as they seem and she is nothing more than a drunk…well, let's just say we'll give her enough alcohol to help erase the last few hours from her mind. That way, even if she does recall something and want to tell anyone that a couple of strangers tied her up and questioned her somewhere they wont believe her…oh, and one other thing David…don't _ever _call me a moron again!"

There was the sound of someone being soundly slapped followed by a whimper, seconds later her ears detected the second voice (identified by the click of heels) moving closer. After a pause, a deluge of cold water hit her full in the face, the shock of the sudden dousing caused her to cough harshly. This was quickly replaced by a hiss of pain as the pounding in her head got worse, before she could even attempt to get her bearings the blindfold was pulled off abruptly leaving her blinking in confused pain. After a second, she focused blearily on the figures in front of her, the woman was smartly dressed and at first glance looked beautiful, she was tall, with long auburn hair, a heart shaped face with piercing green eyes and a dusting of freckles. However after the initial illusion of beauty passed, Quinn saw the ugliness behind the cold emerald gaze. To her left, the man just looked like your average nervous accountant type, complete with round wire rimmed glasses, balding halo of hair and nervous twitching, clearing her throat, Quinn spoke hoarsely.

"What…where am I?"

The woman raised a sculpted auburn eyebrow and taking one step forward to bring her within reaching distance slapped Quinn hard, sending the pilot's world spinning again. This time she _couldn't _hold onto the contents of her stomach and threw up violently, the woman in front of her sneered in disgust as she stepped back. Once Quinn had finished being sick and slumped back in her bonds, another bucket of water hit her full in the face. She forced herself not to focus on the woman because she knew she wouldn't be able to keep her cover or her temper, she knew without a doubt that this was the bitch that had killed J.D. Luckily it was the guy (David) that came closer this time, the woman was obviously not willing to risk her Gucci shoes. Moving behind her, David grabbed her shoulders, holding her still and the woman slipped a black leather glove on…followed by a pair of knuckle-dusters that made the pilot swallow nervously, so much so she almost missed it when the woman started speaking again.

"Now, I have a couple of questions for you, if you answer them honestly then you have nothing to worry about, we'll have a drink and go our separate ways…clear?"

Despite her own self-loathing at the unwanted impulse, Quinn's ears did prick up at the idea of another drink and she couldn't resist licking her lips reflexively. The woman smirked and began to relax a little bit, maybe this _was _just a drunk, still…she had to make sure or the people she worked for would kill her without a second thought, it was just an added benefit that 'questioning' was something she enjoyed doing.

"We'll start with your name, I think?"

Quinn paused on the verge of revealing her real name before she remembered the initial on the dog tag was R, the moments pause however, did not sit well with the well dressed woman in front of her and the next thing Quinn was aware of was a blinding pain in her jaw. Seconds later, awareness sunk back in again fully and groaning in agony the pilot spat out a molar that had come loose from the powerful blow, the woman grabbed her chin hard with the hand not wearing knuckle-dusters.

"When I ask you a question it's polite to answer, or has drink rotted away so much of your brain you've forgotten what manners _are_!"

Letting go with a sneer, the woman barked her request for a name yet again and spitting out more blood whilst trying to ignore the loose way her jaw felt, Quinn managed to answer.

"R…Rita, Rita Fabray."

Even saying that hurt her head like a son of a bitch, so much so that she almost missed the next question.

"And what exactly did you think you were doing tonight?"

Swallowing blood, the pilot grimaced and forced her brain to work long enough to form the correct reply and actually speak it through her shattered jaw.

"I needed…a drink…I saw the window on the latch and figured…there would be some stuff I could…boost to sell."

The woman peered at her intensely for a long moment before nodding ever so slightly and pacing slowly in front of Quinn, it was almost hypnotic and between that and the pain, the pilot was on the verge of passing out when the woman suddenly started speaking again.

"I would like to believe you but see, there's one little problem…this area isn't known for vagrants and drunks and I fail to see what would bring you this way. I can see from some of your clothes and the state of your throat that you've seen action somewhere…what were you, army?"

A part of Quinn would love to spit in this woman's face and tell her to go fuck herself…but she was already hurting and it wouldn't do any good, so instead she looked down and spoke grudgingly, as though she was ashamed of it.

"Air force, engineering corps…disabled out last year and…look I just wanted a drink that was all, I came by here because one of my old squad mates lives up by Maple, I thought maybe I could hit him up for a loan…but he wasn't in, on my way back I passed here and saw the open window…I _just _wanted a drink and it looked too good an opportunity to pass up, are you…gonna call the cops?"

The woman smiled for a long moment and then looked over her shoulder at David who walked round to Quinn's right side and with one hand gripped her forearm securing it against the chair, with his other hand he took hold of her right one in a tight grip then paused. Swallowing, the pilot looked back over to the woman who was now leaning casually on the doorframe, legs crossed at the ankle.

"Well, we should, and maybe we will…I just need to reassure myself you weren't here for any other reason, maybe one involving my children?"

Quinn didn't have to fake her indignation in order to reply honestly to that accusation and her eyes flashed angrily.

"I would _never _touch a damn kid in any nasty way, I may be a drunk but I'm not a monster."

Looking back later, Quinn would wonder if perhaps she had let too much accusation seep into her tone as she said that, or if the woman had always planned to do it, but at her reply the woman nodded to David, who was standing next to the pilot ready and he jerked Quinn's hand sharply up, back and to the side. The resulting snap and grating of bone on bone caused Quinn to howl in pain, a howl that only ended when she started to throw up yet again. She must have passed out again at some point because the next thing she was aware of, more water was being thrown over her. Jerking upright, she wondered if there was a part of her that wasn't hurting…only to realise that no, there really wasn't. Focusing on the woman in front of her, Quinn quickly realised someone else had joined them as she spied J.D looking at her in terror. Trying to convey reassurance with her eyes only, the pilot turned back to her tormentors and forced words out of a jaw that was refusing to move properly now the swelling had kicked in.

"Pleash…I jus wanted a drin, tha's all…everything I told you s'true, I dun know wha kinky shit you and your man are into but I jus wanted a damn drink, lemme go, swear to you I won't breathe a word of this."

Peering at her thoughtfully for a long moment, the woman then gestured to David and they headed back into the other room, closing the door securely behind them. Immediately, Quinn sagged in the chair and spoke in the same muffled voice to J.D, only quieter.

"S'not as bad as it looks hot shot…d'you find Gaby?"

The teen swallowed down her obvious fright at seeing Quinn in such a state and her voice when it finally came out was much smaller than normal.

"I…couldn't find her, I tried but there's just nothing, no reply at all, I even went to your house in case she had gone there to keep an eye on Rachel or something but she wasn't there."

Wondering idly where the hell her so called guide was when she needed her the most, Quinn chose instead to lock onto something else the teen had said.

"You c'n go to m'house?"

At J.D's nod, Quinn swallowed and forcing her eyes to stay open, scrambled to piece together what she wanted the teen to do.

"Kay…I need you to wait outside n'see where they take me, they wun leave m'here whatever state m'in."

Trailing off fearfully at that, the pilot forced herself to carry on talking, for her sake as much as for J.D's.

"Watch from ou'side, not here kay? When they take m'out, follow em n'when y'know where they…where they leave me, you go to m'place n'fin a way to tell Rachel…dunno how but if Gaby isn't here then you're all I got. You c'n travel most places she c'n so just do your best, you c'n thin of some'in t'get through t'her, kay?"

J.D looked like she wanted to argue, although she would never admit to it, the teen was becoming really attached to Quinn, she knew that she had to move on after her case was solved but…even so, the pilot was like the sister she never had. She chewed her lip anxiously.

"P'ease kiddo…prom'se me you'll wait ou'side, you shoul'n't be seeing iss shit."

Swallowing down the tears she felt, the teenager fisted her hands where they rested in her pockets and forced a nod.

"Okay…fine, but I…feel bad about leaving you in here alone, you're sort of messed up Montana?"

The uncertain attempt at their usual banter almost made Quinn cry, with great effort she swallowed the tears back down and just nodded with a small very crooked smile.

"I'll ee fine…gwan, ge'out f'ere fore ey come back."

After another moments hesitation J.D just disappeared and the pilot let out a breath of relief despite the pain it caused, seconds later the door opened and the couple returned along with a very large bottle of very cheap vodka and a glass. Quinn's eyes flicked from the drink to the woman repeatedly as they grew closer, Jesus, if drinking herself into a stupor would get her out of this then she was all for it! The bespectacled mole of a guy known as David cut the ropes holding her to the chair, after all, even if she wanted to fight them she couldn't…her body was barely holding itself together right now. She cradled her broken wrist to her chest in relief and eagerly accepted the glass of vodka that was thrust into her good hand. Liquid painkiller was better than no painkiller after all, glancing at the well dressed woman askance she nonetheless downed the burning liquid. The woman just raised an eyebrow and swiftly poured her another.

"I'm just giving you what you want…so much of it you aren't going to remember a damn thing in the morning. You got lucky tonight Rita Fabray, I don't think you'll ever realise quite _how _lucky."

All through her little speech she kept refilling the glass, and Quinn kept methodically emptying it, she knew this would effectively wipe her memory of tonight but that was why she had Jodie…to remember _for _her. Soon enough she could barely hold the glass, at that point David tipped her head back for her while she sat unresisting as the woman kept pouring the vodka down her throat. Despite passing out with a tenth of the bottle still to go, the woman (whom J.D recognised as Sally) insisted on pouring the last of it down the unconscious blonde's throat until it was empty. David looked uncertain as the last of the liquid disappeared down Quinn's gullet, they started to move her battered unconscious body out of the back door and down towards the waiting car.

"Sally, what if she dies anyway…the boss _just _got through telling us how we can't afford to have any more bodies attached to the operation here!"

Rolling her eyes, Sally scowled at the weakling of a partner she was forced to work with, admittedly his scholastic appearance was a huge bonus when it came to gaining the trust of the children but he had no backbone whatsoever!

"Yes, as in an obvious death…besides it will take more than one bottle of vodka to kill a stone cold alcoholic. This way, we dump her in the alley behind O'Malley's grill…that guy owes us more than one favour by now! _If _she dies, he and a bar full of regulars will swear that she was in there getting drunk and rowdy before getting into a bar fight. And if she remembers any of the question and answer session tonight, which I highly doubt, no one will believe her when a bar full of guys counter her story. Simple okay…so stop worrying yourself sick, this situation is taken care of…thanks to me, yet again!"

The last was murmured under her breath and she all but threw Quinn into the boot, paying no attention to the knocks and scrapes the pilot received as she was shoved further inside of the Chevrolet's boot. Invisible to the two people, Jody was sat in the back seat of the car, arms crossed as she glared futilely in the rear view mirror at them.

"You guys are gonna get it…you can't treat people like that, Montana's gonna get better and when she does…when she does she's gonna _kick your asses!_"

Sniffing, the teen swiped angrily at the tears falling from her eyes, she knew Quinn was alive at least because she had seen her breathing, but she was in really bad shape, as in 'got beaten up by a female ninja with PMS' bad. That was a phrase her dad used to use that made both her and her mom laugh, back when they were a family. Even though she knew the woman wouldn't feel it, J.D scowled angrily and lashed out with a foot, kicking the back of Sally's seat angrily. Her eyes widened however when the woman cursed and adjusted in her seat, muttering something about the springs starting to go. Looking at her sneakered feet in disbelief, the teen tried yet again to call for Gaby, she had so many questions about what was going on and where the redhead kept disappearing to, but as usual lately she got nothing. Frowning in frustration, J.D remembered the promise she had made to Quinn and began to chew her lip again, _maybe, _she could get through to the brunette after all?

She had been so busy thinking about recent events that she wasn't aware the car had pulled up round the back of the dingy pool hall and bar. She watched angrily as Sally pulled the car to a halt and motioned for David to pull Quinn's unconscious body from the boot. He fumbled clumsily and half dropped the pilot into the overflowing bags of garbage surrounding the equally full dumpsters, scowling, Sally got out of the car and used her heels to kick Quinn further into the stinking trash, uncaring where or how hard her feet hit. J.D was shaking with impotent rage by now, but letting out a breath, she managed to ignore the anger and concentrate on the address of the bar and Quinn's location. Once she had it committed to memory, she closed her eyes and thought hard about Rachel, it was her she needed to go to now…she had promised Quinn after all.

Rachel was spending her time between rushing to the toilet with her evening sickness and pacing agitatedly around the living room. She knew the panicking was doing the nausea no good but it was nearly eleven and there was no sign of Quinn! She had tried the number the blonde had left her after citing a problem with her actual mobile but it had just rung and rung. It didn't help that she was out on that bloody motorbike, Rachel knew that Quinn loved it and maybe when she wasn't being driven mad by pregnancy hormones, she wouldn't panic so much…but right now Quinn plus a fast bike equalled a panicky stressed Rachel. Chewing on her thumbnail, she debated ringing Santana, she knew the Latina was working nights this week but with Brittany away she was the only person Rachel could think of. It wasn't that she didn't trust the boys because of course she did, but they weren't the best in a crisis, Kurt flapped and ran around like a headless chicken and Blaine spent all his time trying to calm Kurt rather than concentrating on the crisis at hand. There was always Quinn's parents but that might just cause even more people to panic and she wasn't sure what she might be interrupting anymore as Judy and Steven had been acting like loved up teenagers lately. No, there was only one option and that was Santana…Rachel decided she would give it half an hour more and if she still hadn't heard from Quinn then she would ring. That decision only lasted fifteen minutes before she caved and rang the detective's private cell, after a moment it was answered hastily.

"Berry what's wrong, what's happened, is it the babies, are you okay?"

Never having heard her old friend babble like that before, Rachel was struck dumb for a moment, it was only the harsh breathing on the other end of the phone that brought her out of it enough to reply.

"I…no, the babies are fine San, I just…I'm really worried because Quinn hasn't come home yet and she took the bike today, I know she said she was working overtime so I wondered if maybe you could check on her when you swing by the station next time?"

At her end of the conversation Santana frowned and checked her watch, she was pretty damn sure that when she had walked past earlier Quinn's supervisor had said she had taken off early…not that she would tell Rachel that just yet.

"Yeah of course I will…have you tried her cell phone?"

There was an impatient huff and despite the potential seriousness of the situation, the Latina couldn't help but smirk slightly at the mental image of pregnant Rachel stomping a foot impatiently.

"Of course I did! I tried her usual one and the emergency number she left because her contract one has been acting up!"

The Latina's frown deepened again, Quinn hadn't mentioned _anything _about that and although there was no logical reason for her to have done so, the pilot had been religious about keeping their close friends in the loop because of the pregnancy. Shifting in the seat of her car, Santana began to get that familiar itch at the base of her skull that meant something was most definitely wrong.

"Rachel, you know what she's like, she gets lost in engines like no one I've ever known and probably left her phone, or phones in this case, in her locker. I'm heading back in a minute actually so I'll go down and poke her, remind her she has a life outside of grease and mechanics."

Santana's soothing tones actually did work to ease a little of the tension that Rachel was feeling and she even chuckled lightly.

"I know you're probably right and that I'm worrying too much because of the baby crazies, but thank you. I mean I know you're probably really busy as it is so I appreciate you taking the time to reassure me…and kick my forgetful fiancée in the ass!"

Forcing a chuckle despite her uneasy feeling, Santana buckled in as her partner slid behind the wheel and passed her the bag with their sandwich order in it, wordlessly, she gestured for them to head back to the station as she continued to speak to the brunette.

"Hey, no problem Rae, just sit down, have a hot drink and watch one of those god awful films you used to make me and Brit sit through with you!"

The tactic worked and Rachel launched into a lecture on what makes a good musical, and in the tradition of years of friendship, Santana hung up on her halfway through it with a grin. A grin that quickly turned into a sigh as she cursed in Spanish under her breath, Sam, her partner turned towards her with a raised eyebrow.

"Problems?"

Grunting slightly, the Latina turned to the willowy blonde she'd been partnered with at the beginning of the year. They were like chalk and cheese but after discovering they were both closeted had begun to finally trust each other as well as develop a burgeoning friendship, half smiling Santana shrugged a shoulder.

"Let's just say I'm going to have to kick a good friend's ass…and that's the good side of the coin, the flip side…eesh!"

Rolling blue eyes, Sam blew her bangs out of her eyes and turned her attention back to the road.

"Well, you know I got your back if you need it, just let me know when and where Lopez…and of course then you'll be the one that needs to buy the sandwiches for a month."

Raising a dark eyebrow gracefully, the Latina was quick to reply.

"_You _still have the better part of a month left to buy them after you fell out of that perp's bathroom window by tripping over your own big feet…and then making _me _swear it happened in the heat of the foot pursuit!"

Wincing and running a hand through her hair, the blonde muttered.

"Yeah well…shut up."

The only sound in the department issued car for the next few minutes was Santana's amused laughter. When they got back, Sam headed to the bullpen to write up their last interview while the Latina headed down to check in the garage for the wayward mother/father to be. There was only one guy in and he reaffirmed what she thought she already knew; Quinn had clocked out that afternoon around half one and not been seen since. Cursing under her breath, Santana headed into the car park to check for the bike only to find the space empty, toying with the shield on her belt she thought quickly about where else to check before she rang Rachel back. Ten minutes and three phone calls later, she had ascertained that Quinn wasn't at her parents, the airfield or even the all night café she sometimes went to for Rachel's craving's requests.

Back at the house, Rachel was beyond nervous now and approaching angry, actually, if she were honest she had surpassed normal anger and was working her way up to fury. A part of her was aware that she was being completely irrational but it was either get angry or fall apart. Quinn knew that Rachel hated her using the bike, that she hated not being able to contact her and most of all that she hated it when Quinn wasn't home before midnight without saying _why_. Rubbing her hand soothingly over her bump, she tried to calm down if only for the sake of the peanuts, she was almost drowsing when her cell phone started blaring out Bad To The Bone, which she had programmed in as Santana's ring tone. Snatching it up, she almost yelled her response into it.

"Did you find her, does she know how upset I am…because I'm going to kick her ass Santana I _swear _I am, you can tell I'm mad right? Because I said ass and not butt!"

Expecting to hear the Latina's calming tone, maybe interspersed with chuckling as she explained how much Quinn was now panicking when she had realised the time, instead she found herself trailing off into uncertain silence as Santana was in fact using her 'cop' voice.

"Rae…I need you to take a few deep breaths okay, deep calming breaths, because I need to ask you a few questions."

Swallowing hard, Rachel's hand reflexively gripped her bump tighter but she did as her friend requested, once the Latina was certain Rachel had calmed enough to listen she began to speak again.

"I checked the garage and she isn't there…I also rang the airfield and her parents house and she wasn't there either. On the plus side she _hasn't _been in an accident okay? That was the first thing I checked and there have been no accidents today involving a motorbike."

The tightness currently constricting the diva's chest eased off a little and she nodded before realising her friend was on a phone and so couldn't see it.

"I…thank you for that, that's one worry out of the way at least, what else can we do Santana because I…really don't know where else she might be!"

The Latina's voice was right there, immediately seeking to soothe Rachel again as she felt the little diva's panic begin to rise once more.

"Hey, stay calm okay and remember the kids, they need their mama to stay calm Rae. I normally need a warrant for shit like this but…do I have your permission to trace her cell phone signal?"

Rachel's eyes widened at that, that was the sort of thing the police did when they thought someone was dead wasn't it? Before she could ask that however Santana answered it.

"It's just so I can locate where her cell phone is, so long as she has it turned on I'll be able to find her, like I said before, _normally _there's a lot of legal hoops to jump through for this stuff but I'm going to circumvent them…and kick Quinn's ass when I finally find her."

Rachel's bark of laughter was a half sob and she drew in a deep calming breath.

"Yes, trace her cell, and as for the ass kicking you'll have to get in line because I'm first…just, find her please Santi?"

The use of the childish nickname told Santana more than anything else _exactly _how worried her old cheer captain was and she gentled her tone, allowing some of her rarely shown tenderness to reveal itself.

"I promise…I'm going to do it now, while I do that I need you to think of _anywhere _you think she might have gone okay? If you come up with anything then ring me straight away, if not, keep the line clear and I'll ring you when _I _have something."

Forcing herself to remain calm, Rachel promised that she would do just that and then disconnected with a shaky hand. At that point in time and although neither of them knew it, both Santana and Rachel found themselves saying.

"You _better _be okay Quinn."

Unaware of the conversation that had just taken place, J.D appeared beside the chair that Rachel was resting in, blinking with a moments disorientation the teen glanced around, eyes widening when she saw the brunette chewing agitatedly on her lip and staring at the cell phone in her hand as though she could will it to ring. Running forward, J.D suddenly remembered that she couldn't actually touch or interact with the little diva and cursing under her breath paused to run both hands through her hair.

"Well…okay, time to think outside the box, not that I even know what _that _means."

Murmuring away to herself, the teen walked around the chair wringing her hands together as she tried to work out how to get through to Rachel, she had managed to kick the back of Sally's chair when she got irritated…maybe that was the answer!

"Okay, _what _irritates me, _really _irritates me more than anything?"

Frowning deeply, she played with the friendship band on her wrist for a few silent moments then threw her hands up in frustration.

"The only thing irritating me right now is _this _stupid situation! This isn't even my job for god's sake, Gaby should be here, not me!"

Scowling, she slumped down onto the edge of the coffee table that was facing Rachel and her irritation died a quick death when she saw the sheer desperation and worry on the woman's face. Sighing, she ended up knelt on the floor in front of Rachel who had started crying softly, swallowing her own worry down the teen lifted a hand to lay it gently on the diva's knee.

"I…should have stopped her doing it I guess, she loves you and she's alive, I just wish I could tell you where she was because she _needs _you, she needs me to tell you and I just…I don't know how!"

At those last few desperately whispered words, Rachel gasped loudly and both hands dropped to rest on the bump where the babies were growing, surprised at the sudden sound, J.D let out a yelp of her own, promptly falling backwards. Running her shaking hands gently over her belly, the brunette's face was filled with wonder and she whispered in awe.

"Wow…you guys, is this your way of saying you're worried about your momma too?"

Scrambling back up onto her knees, J.D watched with wide eyes as she saw Rachel let out a half sob, half laugh as the babies physically kicked for the first time. Unsure why exactly she was doing it, J.D leaned forward and after another moments hesitation, lay her hands on top of Rachel's and couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face when she felt the kick clearly, it was soft, little more than a flutter but she felt it nonetheless and automatically words started falling out of her mouth.

"She's okay babies, hurt but fine…I just can't figure out how to let your mommy know that she's in the alleyway behind O'Malley's Grill on Fifth Avenue, I don't suppose you got any ideas do you?"

All of a sudden, Rachel sat up straight, unknowingly sending the teen sprawling again, J.D frowned from her position on the floor as she watched the brunette scoop up her phone from the coffee table, swearing under her breath as she tried to use it with shaking hands. Eventually she obviously got the result she wanted and rising from her chair started to pace as she waited for Santana to finally answer. Across town, the Latina detective was swearing under her breath as she walked in a circle around Quinn's Ducatti. She'd traced the cell phone signal to an underground parking lot only to find the bike, safely immobilised with the pilot's rucksack locked into the storage box bolted to the bike's side. She'd been contemplating how to break into it when she felt Sam nudge her side; the tall blonde had gone along with her despite the slight illegality of using the tracking equipment without the appropriate paperwork. Raising an eyebrow in question, Santana almost started when Sam rolled her blue eyes and pointed to her partner's pocket.

"You're ringing Lopez."

Fishing the angrily blaring iPhone from her jacket, Santana slid the bar across hastily when she realised it was Rachel.

"Hey Berry, I just found her bike so I know she's not…"

She halted abruptly when the diva's voice hurriedly over rode her own.

"Santana, this is going to sound absolutely nuts and I realise that but I can't explain to you just how I know without you questioning my sanity, later I promise I will explain _all _this…or try to! You need to get to a place called O'Malley's Grill, it's on Fifth Avenue, check the alley behind the place, Quinn's there!"

As a detective, Santana's over riding emotion was curiosity and her own instincts were to drill Rachel until she told her what the hell was going on and NOW! But…Quinn was in trouble and if Rachel suddenly knew where she was then the Latina would dutifully go and get her, but she _would _find out what was going on because this was just getting weird and she was certainly owed more than one explanation.

"I'm on my way, I'll call back when I get there."

Hanging up, Santana turned to Sam who just nodded, hell _yeah _she was coming along, it was this or a T.V dinner in front of Law and Order re-runs again! Back in the Faberry household, Rachel sat back in her seat abruptly, unsure where that sudden burst of information had come from but knowing better than to question it. Running her hands over her bump again, she murmured wonderingly.

"How did you guys do that?"

J.D was still sat on the floor staring between the awestruck diva in the armchair and her own hands, after a moment she found herself echoing the brunette as she turned them over as if expecting to see something other than the same old hands she had, had since birth.

"Yeah…how _did _you do that?"

_So boys and girls…any idea where I'm headed with this yet lol, I hope so because I love writing this story and have very many cases and situations I want to put these people into, there will be rather heavy involvement sometimes with my O.C's however as I really love J.D and I have a plan involving Sam, Santana's partner as well but they aren't stories that will detract from the main Faberry centric loveliness, I promise! In fact it's just stories that broaden my main cast a little and I am thinking of running a competition to offer one of you readers/reviewers the chance to be a character in this story universe lol so keep your peepers peeled my chums! For now I'm off to do the next part of RBR then onto SOTI, god I love writing, good job really and you only have yourselves to blame as you read it and encourage me to carry on! Much love in the house and big up yourselves (I'm so down with the lingo!) XXX_


	9. Chapter 9

Santana was off and running even as she was sliding her phone into her back pocket, wordlessly, Sam jogged along side her and dutifully leapt into the passenger seat. As the Latina swore at the car's stuttering engine, her partner reached over and stilled the hand that was moving the key jerkily.

"Calm down Lopez, you know this hunk of junk won't react to that ham-fisted approach…take a deep breath, turn the key normally, and if it isn't too much trouble, maybe you could tell me where the _fuck _we're headed and if I'm risking my badge for it?"

Forcing herself to try and calm down, Santana lay her forehead on the steering wheel for a long moment, if anyone but her partner had spoken to her like that they'd be on their ass by now…but she trusted Sam with her life on a daily basis so she allowed her a bit more leeway. Besides which, what they were doing now was essentially going to be 'off the books' and could indeed cost both of them their badges, especially if Quinn had stepped into as big a pile of shit as Santana was beginning to think she had.

"Long story short? I have a friend who is an idiot, a dumb pain in my ass idiot who has gotten herself into some deep shit…at least that's what I'm assuming as no one can find her…plus, we had a really un-nerving conversation the other day."

Satisfied that Santana was calm enough to act rationally, Sam let go of her hand before easing back fully into her own seat.

"_How _unnerving…exactly?"

Speaking as she drove, Santana pulled out of the underground car park where they had found Quinn's bike and headed towards the bar Rachel had mentioned. Now came the difficult part, explaining to Sam just how deep the puddle of shit they were about to step into might possibly be.

"Do you remember a while back when we busted that dick weed pimp? The Russian guy who tried to sell us information to keep his drugged up ass out of jail?"

Tugging thoughtfully on her earlobe, the tall blonde detective frowned for a moment whilst rummaging through the rapidly growing rolodex of perp's she kept in her mind.

"Yeah, guy looked sorta like a weasel, a _greasy _weasel…tried to sell us some information about child labour, is that the one you mean?"

The Latina nodded and weaved rapidly past two yellow cabs that blared their horns and a sedan that slammed its brakes on just in time to avoid losing it's front end. Waiting for the blare of horns to fade into the background, Sam carried on as though they hadn't just risked a multiple car pile up.

"Yeah I remember him, but his information didn't pan out…in fact the place he sent us to was long since abandoned."

Blowing a stray strand of hair from out of her eyes, Santana shifted in her seat before speaking.

"Well…what if he had the right info but the wrong location? I wouldn't normally trust anything a pimp has to say, but a couple of days ago my friend asked something along the same lines. And although she said it was idle speculation I know damn well how she thinks, and I'm pretty sure she was asking because she'd heard something…or worse, _knows _something."

Tugging habitually on her ear again, Sam glanced across at her partner and newfound friend, as usual the Latina's expression was a mix of determination and fierce intelligence…but now she could also see the blatant signs of fear and frustration lurking there as well. Swivelling her gaze back towards the windscreen, the blonde blew out a breath.

"Is she the sort of person that _would _try and take something huge like this on? I mean this isn't some street corner dealer problem or even a suspected murderer, this is a freaking _organisation, _and without a badge to stand behind, you'd have to be a moron to forge ahead alone."

Tearing her eyes away from the road for a moment, Santana smiled bitterly.

"You haven't met Quinn…she isn't a moron but she just…she doesn't _think_! I warned her, I said if she knew something she should hand it over to those that can better handle it, but _no_…instead ,she has to keep her cards close to her chest and handle it her way!"

Growling angrily, she thumped the flat of her hand against the steering wheel as her worry and fear for Quinn momentarily took over from the hardened detective's exterior she had spent years perfecting. Knowing instinctively that Santana would not thank her for pointing out the fact she was getting emotional, Sam just cleared her throat before subtly steering the subject back towards what they actually knew.

"So…where are we headed now, you get a tip on where this Quinn might be?"

Yet again Santana was thankful for the perceptiveness of her partner and after a split second to organise her raging emotions, she replied smoothly.

"Yeah, a weird one but a tip nonetheless! And I'm not being vague just to annoy you, although I cant deny that is amusing, I'm being vague with you because Rachel was vague with me! All she said was where we had to go, well, that and that I shouldn't ask her anymore right now…she _has _promised she will explain it all later however."

Tugging on her ear again, Sam just half smiled and popped a stick of big red in her mouth.

"Anyone ever tell you your friends are weird Lopez?"

That surprised an honest bark of laughter out of the stoic Latina.

"Considering you're one of them now Carter, what does that say about you?"

Grinning back, the blonde detective just snapped her gum before idly checking that her holster was unsnapped and ready…just in case. The last of their brief but needed levity vanished as the bar came into view, bypassing the car park Santana steered the battered sedan around to the alley ways that ran between the various bar's, restaurants and strip clubs that lined these streets. As usual the sight of a plain sedan had the more streetwise criminals running for the hill's, Santana smiled grimly as she slammed her car door shut and watched a couple of known bangers take flight over a chain link fence before drawling at her partner.

"I told you that cologne was offensive Sam, you promised to change it."

Rolling her sky blue eyes, Sam casually drew her gun, as did the Latina, they kept up their banter even as they approached the alleyway Rachel had informed her friend contained Quinn.

"Yeah? Well I still think it's the fact your smile looks more like something out of Jaws 86 'The Resurrection' that scares people off!"

Raising an eyebrow in distracted ,amusement, Santana shook her head as they both took up positions on either side of the alley entrance with their, weapons drawn. Santana smirked slightly; deciding to reply before they moved in…she wouldn't want to let Sam have the last word after all.

"Jaws 86? Where'd you pull that random number from?"

Smirking back, the taller detective shrugged one shoulder and muttered.

"I just went for the amount of reprimands in your personnel jacket."

The Latina rolled her eyes then held up her free hand smoothly, using her fingers to count silently down to zero at which point they both moved smoothly into the alley. Apart from several rats that looked up with disinterest for a moment before diving back into their dumpster dinner's, nothing moved…at least nothing moved, _at first_. Years as patrol officer's had given both Santana and Sam incredibly keen instincts, and although there was no one visible in the alley, the air held that certain electricity that clearly indicated the presence of someone. Moments later they heard them also, as a faint moan sounded from the pile of garbage that overflowed from the dumpster. Santana waited only as long as it took for Sam to nod confirmation that she had her back before rushing toward the stinking trash. Flinging bags and bottles away rapidly, the Latina tried not to think of the lecture she'd get from the CSI team later for disturbing the scene, soon enough she saw the familiar silver dog tags that Quinn always wore…when she saw the state of her friend however shock caused her to pause in her movements. If not for the dog tags, she would have doubted that this _was in fact _her friend. Quinn's jaw was crooked while the ear on the right side of her head seemed to be only half attached. Swallowing down the urge to cry, Santana forced herself to remain in detective mode, completely unaware she had gasped faintly until Sam cleared her throat, reminding her subtly that she was there not just in the capacity of friend but also detective.

"You want me to call an ambulance…it will go on the books but she needs it Lopez."

Masking her sniff of sorrow as one of disgust at the aroma of mixed trash and alcohol that was clinging to the unconscious pilot, Santana cleared her throat and spoke gruffly.

"Yeah you're damn right there…NO! Wait a minute, what about the Doc?"

Frowning in confusion for a moment, Sam then tugged on her ear again, this time through irritation rather than habit.

"Jan…uh, you mean Doc Frasier? She's the dead people doctor, how on earth is she going to help with this?"

Rolling her brown eyes irritably, Santana continued to clear the area surrounding Quinn and try and tend to the injuries she could as she spoke.

"Yeah, you and she are friends right? Well maybe more than that but believe me, I'm not asking! All I'm thinking is maybe if you have a quiet word with her, call in a favour, then she can run interference for us at the hospital."

Ignoring the unasked question in that sentence, Sam flushed a dark red and passed Santana some tissues from her pocket, watching silently for a moment as the Latina wiped the trash from Quinn's face.

"Fine…I'll ask, but you owe me more than one favour for this, the last time we talked was not exactly…pleasant."

Even in this dire situation Santana couldn't avoid making a joke, maybe especially now she needed to do so to keep herself grounded. Quinn groaned faintly under the Latina's ministrations but didn't open her eyes.

"What you mean is…you fucked up and don't know how to make it right."

Scowling mildly, knowing this was banter rather than criticism, Sam snagged her phone from her coat pocket. As she rang the doc, Santana continued to try and make Quinn more comfortable, she was worried as hell about the stench of liquor that clung to the blonde's skin, maybe this _wasn't _anything nefarious, maybe Quinn had just fallen off the wagon. As a wave of irrational anger swept over her, Santana forced herself to look at the situation logically rather than emotionally. In the background she could vaguely hear Sam's voice fluctuating between cajoling and awkward, shaking off the mild distraction the Latina went back over Quinn's behaviour for the past few weeks and compared it to that of her father whenever he had, had a slip with booze.

She _had _been acting secretively, but then again she hadn't really been the old Quinn since news of the triplets. And it was that very fact that led Santana to the inevitable conclusion that as stubborn and idiotic as the blonde pilot could sometimes be…she would _never _risk hurting Rachel or their unborn children just for a drink. Whatever else had happened she knew that alcohol hadn't been the cause of this, it was obviously a part of it judging from the smell, but not the main reason. She was startled from her thoughts when Quinn's eyes half opened, mustering a reassuring tone she spoke softly.

"Quinn! There's help on the way just…stay still okay cos someone messed you up pretty bad, later however, when you're able to, we are _so _gonna talk about this!"

Unable to do much except grunt at that point, the pilot lifted her good hand and held a weak thumbs up before passing out again. Seconds later Sam was back with her; looking uncomfortable the taller detective tugged on her earlobe and forced a weak but reassuring smile.

"Doc Frasier will meet us at the entrance to the E.R, she says she knows the people to talk to, to play this off like the treatment of a confidential informant so all the records will be sealed…but we have to take her in the car, too many questions if she roars up in an ambulance."

Nodding slightly, Santana reluctantly deferred to her partner for a moment, it wasn't that she didn't trust Sam…it was just she was Santana fucking Lopez so deferring to _anyone _went against all her natural instincts.

"Well, you used to know field medicine when you were in the air force right? Do you want to take over and I'll bring the car as close as I can?"

Wordlessly, Sam took Santana's place as the Latina raced back to the sedan, minutes later they had Quinn laid on the back seat with her head in Santana's lap as the brunette reluctantly relinquished the keys so her partner could drive.

"I don't think there's any serious internal injuries, looks like she got worked over real good, but aside from the busted jaw and wrist I think it's just bruises and cuts…even the ear should reattach fine."

Grunting her acknowledgment of Sam's assessment, Santana dug her phone out of her jacket and dialled Rachel. Across town, the frantic brunette who had only been mildly distracted by the mystery of how exactly she had learned Quinn's location, snatched up her phone eagerly.

"Santana did you find her, tell me you found her…is she alright?!"

Unknown to Rachel, J.D. was on the other side of her, head craned with her ear close to the phone so she could also overhear the conversation. Although she would never admit it, the surly teen ghost had been growing more and more worried about what would happen if Quinn wasn't found soon.

"Rae, it's okay…I got her with me and we're on the way to the hospital, a friend is meeting us there to treat her so she won't have to wait. She's not bad, just got a little banged up in a fight that's all."

Letting out a sob of relief, Rachel's free hand reached out to soothe the babies as she felt them kick lightly, as if they _also _needed to let their relief manifest somehow. J.D also wiped away tears roughly and then shoved her hands in her pockets, listening intently to what Rachel's cop friend said next.

"I don't want you driving down there Rach, Brittany is still in L.A, so what I'm going to do is send over a squad car. The officers are mine, they can be trusted even if they are a little odd, wait for them and they can bring you here without you risking a ticket or a fender bender…okay?"

Swallowing down her tears and thanking God or whoever the hell it might be that Quinn was safe, Rachel mumbled an agreement and hastily hung up as she rushed off to change out of her pyjamas before the squad car got there.

Sam frowned slightly and caught Santana's eye in the rear-view mirror, pausing to weave past a couple of duelling taxis before asking.

"What patrol officers are you going to call on? You know most of them want to make it to detective right? So what makes you think these two in particular will keep things to themselves and not trade the info in for promotion at some point?"

Smirking slightly, Santana scrolled through her contacts list until she found 'Laurel & Hardy'

"Trust me…if you met these two you wouldn't have to ask, they're trustworthy and actually seem to prefer being in uniform, plus if they did want promotion, they know I'm the best person to help get it for them."

Shrugging, Sam just went back to concentrating on the road, though in typical cop fashion, half of her was still paying attention to Santana's side of the phone conversation.

"Lee, where the hell are you?…well it's noisy as hell, sounds like a college frat party…whatever, can you get somewhere quiet, and drag Murphy with you…right, that's better, now I need you guys to do me a favour…no, not that sort of favour and it tells me a lot that the first thing you thought of was that…uh huh yeah I'm sure that's why…look I need you to go pick up a friend of mine and take her to the E.R…no…no, you don't need to do anything other than that…what do you mean Murphy is stuck in the arcade?…well tell her to man up and walk past the Hello Kitty dolls…fine, go get her then, then get your asses to this address! And it's the sirens-on type of speed needed okay…just make sure she gets there in one piece and I'll clear any traffic complaints with the Captain…yeah, yeah…later jokers."

Glancing in the rear-view mirror once again, Sam raised a curious eyebrow, looking up from where she had been gently running one hand over her unconscious friend's hair, the Latina half smirked.

"You don't even want to know!"

After that, things happened really fast, Sam and Santana screeched up to the E.R and seconds later the squad car arrived. The Latina took a gentle but firm hold of Rachel's elbow and steered her towards a private waiting area while Sam helped Janet get Quinn into a hospital bed. Once Santana was sure things were under control, she sent the two uniformed officers to get coffee, it was likely she would need them again later for one reason or another. Closing the door behind her, the Latina took a moment just to lean on the back of the smooth wood and close her eyes, with Brittany away at the moment she had spent nearly all her spare time working.

Now, in the silence and warmth of the private waiting room she took a moment to register the exhaustion her body was feeling, blowing out a breath she found she had to force her eyes open again. Rachel was staring at her worriedly, she knew without Brittany around to rein in some of the Latina's more self destructive habits, Santana would push herself, but it wasn't until now she realised just _how _much. Despite her overwhelming concern for her fiancée, Rachel stood up and all but forced Santana to sit down before pouring her a cup of (sneakily decaf) coffee and bringing it over. Sitting down next to her, she pressed the warm cup into her friend's hands then curled up and leant into Santana's side, silently offering as well as receiving much needed support.

"What…I mean, how bad was she?"

Shifting wearily in her seat, Santana let herself lean a little further into her friend's warm shoulder as she repeated what Sam had told her.

"Sam used to be in the USAF and knows field medicine, she said that apart from her jaw and wrist being broken it should just be a few stitches and a clean up…she'll be fine. Well, she will be until I get _my _hands on her stubborn ass, at which point she'll probably need more treatment…I mean, what the hell was she _doing_!?"

Beside her, she felt Rachel stiffen slightly; an act which caused not only her friendship hackles to stand up but her detective one's as well. The brunette had never been a particularly _good _liar and she had never, not even once, been able to lie to Santana. Knowing this gave her somewhat of an unfair advantage in this conversation, the Latina nevertheless turned her head to catch her friend's eye. Her suspicions were confirmed when Rachel's chocolate brown eyes rapidly skittered off to the side and away from her own inquisitive gaze.

"Okay, just what is going on Rachel because I've known you since you were in diapers and I know when you're hiding something. I don't mean to push but you promised to explain things to me and I need to know what's going on…what am I helping to cover up and why?"

Sighing, Rachel rubbed her hand soothingly over the bump and wondered how much she could actually say, she hated having to hide things from Santana, but Quinn was the woman she loved, the other parent of the babies in her womb, and most importantly…it wasn't her secret to tell. Unseen by either of the women was the pacing form of J.D who wanted desperately to go and see what was happening with Quinn, but she also wanted to keep her promise to the pilot to stay close to Rachel. However, the present conversation had distracted her from that particular dilemma and she found herself answering for the diminutive actress.

"She can't tell you because you're gonna think Quinn is nuts and she _isn't_, just believe that it's important…and my fault."

She trailed off guiltily as she remembered how bad the blonde pilot had looked when she had seen her last, being kicked into a pile of rancid garbage. She let her nails dig into her palms in an unconscious form of self-castigation, if she hadn't needed help to prove her murder, to set her parents' minds at ease then this would never have happened! Scowling, she kicked angrily at one of the empty paper cups stacked on the floor near the women's feet…and startled herself possibly more than she did Santana and Rachel who both jumped at the abrupt scattering of the empty cups. Shifting in her seat, Rachel let out a long breath and caught Santana's distracted gaze with hers, pushing the weird incident to the back of her mind she replied honestly, or to be more accurate, as honestly as she felt she could.

"I _will _tell you, just like I promised…it's just that it really isn't my explanation to give but Quinn's. And its not that she doesn't trust you, as you know she trusts you with her life, and more importantly mine. But this is…something that is very hard if not impossible to believe, when she _does _explain things you probably won't believe her, but I swear to you on our friendship that every word she'll say is true!"

Raising a speculative eyebrow, the detective also settled back down, despite eyeing the cups warily, and addressed her friend's earnest statement.

"Okay…fine, but you're kinda worrying me here Rach? I mean is Quinn going to like reveal she's the real Dumbledore or something equally weird cos…while freaky that would also be kinda cool."

As she wanted it to, the half-joking question caused Rachel to smile genuinely for the first time in hours and she thumped her Latina friend's shoulder lightly.

"No, not that but…equally as weird, just trust in her…and in me."

Looking carefully into Rachel's eyes, Santana could see nothing other than honesty and trust, sighing softly she nodded and pulled the diva closer to her in a hug.

"Okay, you have my word, for now I'll play it out as part of a lead I'm running down with the help of a confidential informant."

Satisfied that she had at least mollified the Latina's detective instincts, Rachel rubbed her belly yet again and wished that Gaby was able to appear to _her _and not just Quinn, because she would love to know exactly what was going on herself! Unknowingly, the pacing teenager echoed those thoughts, although for a different reason, as she eyed the upended paper cups then Rachel's belly and remembered how she had made contact with her earlier. Happy at least that the diva was in safe hands with Santana, J.D ran her hands through her hair before irritably tugging on her friendship band and half whispering.

"I wish Gaby was here too…because I don't know what the hell is going on anymore."

Quinn felt…okay actually, and that made no sense whatsoever; she had been on the receiving end of a fair number of beatings in her first couple of months at Juvie and never, ever did you feel less than miserable afterwards. So, feeling okay was definitely odd enough to get her attention, opening her eyes, she blinked in confusion. Having expected the sterile white walls of a hospital or the red brick and scum of the alley she had been dumped in, instead she found herself at home…kinda. Sitting up, the pilot rubbed her hands down her face taking in the familiar furniture, it seemed like home but there was a kind of…sheen over everything that sparkled.

"Geez…don't tell me Rach bedazzled the whole house? I thought I broke her of that habit after the track shoes incident."

Having spoken aloud only to break the eerie silence, she was therefore surprised when someone actually answered her.

"She bedazzled your track shoes?"

Looking up and over her shoulder, the confused frown was replaced with a happy smile when she took in the form of her smirking friend.

"Gaby! Where the hell have you _been_? And also…where the hell are we now, because I doubt I'm actually at home am I?"

Holding up both of her own hands to halt the tide of questions, Gaby allowed the smirk to grow into a full grin.

"Whoa! Ease up on the whole who, what, where for a second Sherlock! Firstly, I've been busy with stuff I'm not _technically _allowed to tell you about. Secondly, we are in a dream sort of, and we're here so I can bend the rules a little bit and tell you what I'm not supposed to. And thirdly…she _really _bedazzled your track shoes?"

Temporarily forgetting her questions, Quinn thought back to the night before her first track meet. She had been out and brought top of the line running shoes, neon yellow so that Rachel would be able to see her from far away. Only to discover that Rachel had 'thoughtfully' bedazzled them with hearts and both their initials for the same reason, when she'd taken them out of her kit bag the next morning, she hadn't known whether to laugh or cry. After reluctantly running the race in them (much to Santana's amused delight), she had explained that bedazzling the shoes had been unnecessary and after a brief talk, the bedazzler was committed to the cupboard under the stairs, never to be seen again. Shaking her head with fond remembrance, Quinn sat back on the sofa and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm afraid she did…but I'll tell you the whole story next time, for now let's just find out what the hell is going on and where you've been!"

Thumping down lightly on the seat next to her, Gaby let out a breath.

"I gotta warn you now that half of the stuff I tell you in this place you most likely won't remember when you wake up, at least not consciously anyway. See, the thing is that while I _am _your guide as you learn how to handle your gift, I'm also on a mission of my own so to speak. When I…killed myself I was miserable and…I wasn't thinking of anyone but me, I certainly didn't think about how it was going to be for you or my folks. So I'm working towards forgiveness, and before you say it, I don't mean your's or my family's…but my own. Part of that is helping potential guardians to come into their own legacies…one of those is J.D. She's going to be Rachel's guardian angel and then your kids, but I had to leave her for a while so she could discover what she was capable of on her own, one of the annoying rules connected to all this, is that I can only guide I can't tell."

Sighing slightly, Quinn just shook her head.

"So is _every _case you bring me going to have ulterior motives like this? I mean first there was Millicent and the diaries which got us the house and money. Now it's J.D and it's partly because yet again we will benefit by gaining Rachel some protection when I work these cases."

Wrinkling her nose in thought, Gaby held a hand out and wagged it from side to side.

"Well, not all of them will have a hidden objective but this one is the last one for a long while…I promise! Mainly because you're pretty messed up Sherlock…not here obviously but when you wake up you're really gonna feel it."

Nodding to herself, the pilot plucked idly at the arm of the sofa.

"I'm more worried about what Rachel, or god forbid Santana, is going to do to me when I wake up!"

Wincing slightly Gaby nodded, laying a calming hand on the pilot's arm, she did her best to reassure her.

"Again I'm not allowed to say too much but…you can trust Santana with this, and after tonight you're not really going to have much choice in that matter. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you're going to be able to accomplish Fabray. And as solitary as you may feel sometimes, there is a silent but solid army of supporters forming up to watch your back. Santana is going to be one of the key players so trust her, tell her everything and then let her think it over while _you _concentrate on healing."

Nodding thoughtfully, Quinn thought back over the last two cases, she had gained Tina as a source of information and even more importantly, she and Rachel had rekindled their friendship giving the diva another source of support. Then of course she had gained J.D., a kid she was growing to love as though she was her own, and, who it turned out would also be a fixture, at least for a while.

"I guess I never thought it would be anyone but you and me Watson, but I'm glad it isn't because it sounds like things are going to be kinda busy. This healing you mentioned, how much healing am I going to have to do exactly…it didn't feel that bad when it was happening."

Hesitating for a long moment, Gaby just laid a hand on Quinn's shoulder.

"Let's just say…I won't be bringing you cases that are too difficult any time soon, mostly it will be the easy ones, the ones where you just hand some information onto appropriate people and they do what they need to. No more idiotic risking of life and limb Fabray, time for some family time with Rachel and wedding plans."

Nodding and feeling slightly chastised, Quinn sighed heavily and rubbed at an ache in her jaw.

"I get it…and I didn't exactly plan to this time, but I had to get that information while I had the chance! Now I might be able to save a lot of potential J.D.'s from meeting the same fate."

Holding up both hands in a halting gesture, Gaby nodded her head in agreement.

"Don't get me wrong, you did the right thing as much as it pains me to admit it…and there will be a couple of developments from this case you may find surprising, but it will secure Santana as an ally and bring J.D. into your family, so yes you did the right thing and you busted open something a lot bigger than even you anticipated, just make sure you get that flash drive to Lopez!"

Rolling her eyes at the repeated phrase, Quinn nodded and then rubbed at her jaw harder, the ache was getting worse, and another was developing in her right wrist. Gaby eyed her knowingly and eased up from the sofa and into a stretch.

"I need to go because you're about to wake up from the sedatives I think, just go with your instincts because as I said you will only remember this subconsciously. I'll come and speak to you soon Sherlock, just concentrate on healing yourself and spending time with Rachel."

Finding herself unable to open her mouth to reply, Quinn just nodded and settled back into the sofa, her eyes drooping. Leaning down, Gaby kissed her forehead gently and seemed to disappear, although this time the pilot could make out a faint shimmer around her form before she did so. Her eyes dropped closed and for a brief moment she felt nothing and saw only comforting blackness, when she finally managed to open them again the pain in her wrist and jaw were much more pronounced. After a few seconds of disorientation, Quinn shook off the remnants of the sedative and took in the walls of the hospital room, the T.V. was on in the background showing a Law & Order re-run and there was a soft snoring sound coming from beside her. Blinking a few times, the pilot tried to ease herself into a sitting position, the fact she couldn't even lift her right arm however was quite disconcerting.

Glancing down, she became aware of the heavy cast on her arm and sighed internally, she turned her head carefully to check the chair next to the bed and saw Rachel curled up carefully. Someone had laid a blanket over her shoulders but it had slipped slightly, reaching out with her good hand, Quinn moved carefully and pulled it back up with a small smile. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping diva she lay back down and carefully assessed her injuries. The broken wrist was obvious, and reaching up with her left hand she felt gingerly around her jaw, it was painful to the touch and although she had no medical knowledge, she was pretty sure it had been wired together.

Grunting a mild disapproval at that discovery, she slowly but carefully tested each muscle and limb; she was sore as hell in a lot of places but nothing else felt broken. Settling back down, she was aware that tiny act had exhausted her and the throbbing in her wrist and jaw had gotten much worse, she was on the verge of buzzing for a nurse when Santana walked in. The Latina's face was a mix of emotions, she seemed to fluctuate between joy and relief that Quinn was aware and seemingly okay, and anger at the apparent stupidity of the act that had brought her here. Holding her good hand up, Quinn realised she couldn't actually say much at the moment and let it fall again with a frown. Swallowing carefully, she attempted a whisper which didn't aggravate the pain in her jaw.

"I know…you're pissed at me, but I can explain San, I really can."

Forcing herself to calm down, the detective slid fully into the room and gently closed the door so as not to wake the sleeping diva. Walking soundlessly to the other side of the hospital bed, Santana took the other chair, after a moment she leant in close enough to whisper.

"What the _hell _were you playing at Fabray! And why did I find you drunk off your ass in an alleyway, I thought you cared more about Rachel and your children than to do that!"

Gesticulating with her free hand for Santana to keep the volume down, Quinn sighed and fought off the throbbing pain to try and explain herself.

"I didn't fall off the wagon, not technically…it's sort of a long story Santana but I swear to you I did this because I had no choice, or at least I thought I had no choice. I'm willing to admit now that maybe I was wrong about that, but what I found…what I found is going to save a lot of children Lopez, and if the price is me taking a few lumps then I'll gladly accept that cost."

Raising her eyebrows at Quinn's attempt to refer to some fairly serious injuries as being a mere triviality, the Latina whispered viciously.

"That cost you're so glad to pay? That so called triviality, has had your girlfriend crying her heart out for the last couple of hours!"

The pilot winced painfully, partly from physical sensation and partly from the thought of how upset Rachel had been, Santana didn't give her chance to reply however before carrying on.

"It might not be much to you Fabray, but to the ones that care about you it was one hell of a deal! You escaped with a busted jaw and hand and they had to reattach your ear to your goddamn head but maybe that's a good thing huh? Maybe you'll actually listen now!"

Okay, enough was enough! Reaching out with her good hand, Quinn clamped it hard onto Santana's arm, applying enough pressure to gain her friend's attention.

"Just…listen, for gods sake shut up and listen okay? This is big…and you are going to be the one to bust it wide open. I got you the info but from now on it's yours to handle however you want. And I couldn't just give you my suspicions because there's more at stake than you or me, it's my job to help people and that's what I was doing."

Whether it was the weary but earnest tone in Quinn's voice or the almost painful grip on her arm, Santana stopped feeling angry and actually listened. Sitting back down, they both temporarily glanced across to Rachel who was still snoring softly, one hand wrapped protectively over her belly. Sighing painfully, the pilot let go of her friend's arm and shifted in the bed trying to ignore the growing pain as she spoke.

"It's a long story, but I'm more than just a pilot or engineer…it's sort of a legacy, I want you to sit and just let me get through this okay? After that you can ask as many questions as you need to for as long as I can stay awake."

Waiting for the detective to nod, Quinn lay back and relaxing all her muscles proceeded to explain everything, from the moment Gaby turned up in her bathroom onwards. Aware that the detective in Santana was making mental notes of questions to ask later, she tried to include absolutely everything that might be relevant. She revealed how she had really come across the diaries, she told her all about J.D and the part she had played in finding Quinn (or at least as much of it as she knew anyway) ending with the teen's story. She had to backtrack a few times to cover things she missed or whenever she saw Santana frown and realised she'd missed something out. Most importantly, she told her about her job as a spirit ranger, what it entailed and how difficult it was, especially not being able to talk to anyone about it. She wasn't sure what Santana thought about any of it as the Latina remained stone faced throughout, eventually Quinn trailed off tiredly, her voice long since gone hoarse and her eyes clouding with pain. Remaining quiet for now, Santana helped to slip some ice chips into her friend's parched mouth where they melted slowly, after making sure she was comfortable, she pressed the button into her hand, speaking softly, the worry and frustration from earlier now absent from her tone.

"This is for your painkiller okay? Press that and in a few seconds you'll be floating into dreamland. I need to think about all of this…a lot, because let's face it; this isn't something you hear every day. We'll talk more when you're up to it, for now I'm going to go smooth things over so you can leave without a mass of paperwork."

Too tired to reply, Quinn just held up a thumb weakly and then pressed the painkiller button thankfully, moments later she was fast asleep and Santana sighed as she made her way to the door with her mind working a million miles an hour…which is probably why Rachel's voice caught her so off guard.

"I know it seems fantastical but I promise you it's true…although I have never seen Gaby I have seen evidence of her presence. Judy confirmed everything and even showed me the proof, it's weird yes, but it is most definitely the truth."

Peering into Rachel's eyes she saw only the truth, just as she had in Quinn's, nodding ever so slightly, the Latina spoke softly.

"I believe you…I don't know why because like you said, it's weird…but I do believe it, I just need time to process it is all. Are you two going to be okay, has the Doc had a chance to speak to you yet?"

Rachel stretched and shook her head tiredly.

"Not yet, she said she would be in later…she was arguing about something with your partner I think."

Smirking slightly, Santana's humour woke up and she wondered idly if now was a good time to go and bail Sam out.

"I'll go tell her you're awake, she'll want to pop in and let you know what's going on…and it sounds like I better go pull Carter's fat out of the fire!"

Winking she slid out of the room, leaving Rachel with Quinn's sleeping form, reaching over the diva took the pilot's good hand and kissing the knuckles lightly, she stood up so she could place the palm of Quinn's hand over her belly and the restless triplets. Although the blonde was more than out of it thanks to the powerful painkillers, she still seemed to smile as though she could feel the flutter of movement under her hand even in slumber. They were stood like that when the door opened again and the Doc slipped in, smiling slightly as Rachel looked up.

"Hi, you must be Dr. Frasier, I know that you did all this as a favour and I appreciate that…more than I can tell you right now."

The Doc who was an inch or so shorter than even Rachel, reached out and took the diva's free hand squeezing it gently.

"It's okay…if not for this it would have been an evening of crossword puzzles and Quincy re-run's, and it's Janet by the way. I'm sorry its taken me so long to come and talk to you but there was…something else I needed to take care of first."

Sitting back down with a small dismissive wave, Rachel watched as Janet picked up the chart at the end of the bed and flipped through it. Once she was happy with what she knew and what had been updated on the chart, she replaced it and turned to the diva.

"Well, the good news is everything is fine internally, no major contusions or bleeding, the worst of the injuries were all on the surface which means that once she has slept off the worst of the pain, she can go home. As for the external injuries, the wrist was snapped in two places and we had to put a metal plate and a couple of pins in to hold it together, there will be some physiotherapy needed at a later date when the cast comes off."

Janet watched carefully as Rachel nodded and took in the plaster casted wrist.

"The ear has been stitched back on and we will have to keep a close eye on it to ensure no infection set's in, so long as it stays clean, the stitches can come out in a fortnight but will unfortunately leave a scar. Quinn's jaw was also broken in two places although plating it was difficult due to the location of the breaks; as such we have wired it closed to enable it to heal properly. This is obviously going to affect her diet, I've put together a collection of pamphlets that will help you with that and hopefully answer any questions you have that I miss."

Swallowing slightly, Rachel absorbed the flood of information carefully and glanced back down to the slumbering form of the pilot. No doubt a liquid diet would not go down well…but at least she wasn't in danger of losing any organs or limbs. Closing her eyes to thank the powers that be for at least making sure of that, Rachel looked back up and accepted the pile of pamphlets that Janet had just taken from her pocket.

"Thank you, if there's ever anything I can do for you then you just have to say the word and I'll be there."

Smiling softly, Janet withdrew her stethoscope from her inner pocket and tilted her head to one side.

"Detective Lopez asked me to check on you as well, she's worried about how all this may have affected you and the babies. Would you mind if I gave you a quick check up, just to put everyone's mind at ease?"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel adjusted herself in the chair so she could be checked over, mumbling resignedly.

"I suppose not, the least I can do for San after this is give her peace of mind, besides, I'm sort of getting used to being poked and prodded."

Janet chuckled lightly as she went about the check up.

"There's nothing quite like a pregnancy to do away with the last of your inhibitions is there?"

Smiling in acknowledgment of that statement, the diva caught Janet's amused gaze.

"The voice of experience?"

The red-headed Doctor nodded and tucked away the stethoscope.

"Oh yeah, and believe me when I say the rule about doctors being the worst patients is absolutely true! But, having said that I wouldn't trade it in for anything, Claire is a pain in my ass sometimes, especially now she's just hit thirteen but worth every moment of it."

Rachel grinned widely at that, one hand rubbing her belly affectionately again.

"So my fathers tell me, I have no doubt that these three are going to be spoiled absolutely rotten, especially as their other momma is a big kid herself."

Patting Rachel's knee, Janet stood.

"Well you seem to be fine, a little exhausted so I'm going to advise you to go home and get some proper rest. Quinn here will be fine, she'll be in and out of it for another day or so while her body rests up and the pain becomes manageable. After that she'll be home with you and on strict instructions to rest, I'm sure your friend Santana can help out with that."

Laughing at the twinkle in the Doc's eye, Rachel nodded and eased herself up. She didn't really want to leave Quinn in the hospital but she had the babies to think of as well and right now that meant going home and resting. Leaning down, she pressed a gentle kiss to the sleeping blonde's forehead and then followed the Doc out to where Santana and her partner were in a heated conversation, a heated conversation that abruptly stopped as Rachel and Janet drew closer. Santana grinned widely and the little diva raised an eyebrow; that was the sort of grin her old friend only used when scheming.

"Great, you guys are done in there! I was just saying that _I'm _taking the car so I can drive Rachel home; I let Lee and Murphy go about a half hour ago. Doc would you be okay to drive Carter home?"

There was a moments awkward silence where neither Sam or Janet looked at anyone then the Doc nodded lightly.

"Of course, and I won't forget that you owe me _two _favours now, Detective Lopez!"

Bowing slightly in acknowledgement, the Latina then linked her arm through Rachel's and steered her towards the car park without another word. When they were safely in the car and on the way home, Rachel stifled a yawn before glancing across to where Santana was deep in thought.

"So…what's up with the doc and your partner?"

Smiling slightly, Santana was relieved to find that conversation was about something other than what Quinn had told her earlier. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about it, she just didn't want to just yet. She was a detective after all and she wanted a chance to gather the clues together and analyse things on her own. Knowing however that Rachel couldn't not talk for the entirety of the ride home, she was half expecting the diva to try and bring it up, relieved that she hadn't she eagerly shared what gossip she had.

"They've been flirting for like months now and trust me when I say it takes a special skill to be able to flirt at crime scenes or over cadavers! Sam finally asked her out but things didn't go so well, turns out the doc has a kid and when she found out Sam…sort of blew her chance with her reaction."

Frowning, Rachel forced her eyes to stay open, as strong as Santana was, she didn't want her to have to try and carry her into the house when they arrived there.

"Why, I thought you said she was like scary smart or something?"

Snorting, Santana indicated to turn off the main road and into Rachel and Quinn's neighbourhood.

"Yeah she is and that's the problem, she's a bit too much like Quinn, both of 'em are super smart but when it comes to common sense things, they do the opposite of what they should. Sam for instance has no problems with the doc being a parent but her super smart brain wanted to analyse the information and so she withdrew and got quiet while she did that. I'm used to it because I work with her but the doc…got about as insulted as anyone would if that happened on a first date."

Wincing in sympathy for both parties involved, the little diva sighed sadly.

"It's such a shame, they're both so nice."

Smirking widely, Santana pulled into the driveway and replied as she parked the car as close to the house as she could.

"Ah don't worry about that, I gave Sam some advice and they have time to talk in the car when the doc gives her a lift, hopefully she won't mess it up this time!"

Killing the engine, she exited the car and despite Rachel's half-hearted protests, she went round and helped the diva from the car. Once they reached the door, the Latina let go of her friend's arm and stifled a yawn.

"Okay, home safe and sound and your mind is at ease knowing where your doofus girlfriend is, I'm going to head back to the station to sort some paperwork out so you can ring me if you need to."

She turned to leave but was stopped by Rachel's hand landing on her arm lightly.

"No way Lopez, you're as exhausted as I am and Quinn and Brittany would never forgive me if I let you carry on working yourself into the ground. Besides which, you weren't the only one plotting, Sam texted me to say she was going in early to do the paperwork tomorrow morning and I was to make sure you rested."

Dark eyebrows rose in reluctant admiration.

"That sneaky son of a…damn, okay well maybe I am a little tired. You just better have some real food on offer in that kitchen of yours and not just the healthy shit you like."

Grinning at the Latina's grumbling acceptance of the situation, Rachel showed her through to the kitchen and Quinn's stash of un-healthy junk that she thought Rachel didn't know about.

Back in the hospital, it was J.D. by Quinn's bed this time when she woke up, forcing a smile despite the dull throbbing, the pilot reached out before remembering she couldn't actually touch the kid. To her surprise however, J.D. reached out across the remaining distance and clasped Quinn's hand, firmly and more importantly warmly. At the widening of hazel eyes, the teen couldn't contain her grin anymore.

"I taught myself! While everyone was running around looking after you and making sure Rachel was okay, I realised I could sometimes touch things…or at least like have an effect on 'em ya know?"

Happy she didn't have to reply, Quinn just nodded and using her left hand, reached out and retrieved a few ice chips to moisten her lips and throat.

"Anyway, Santana was looking after Rachel and I overheard her partner arranging to make sure that she stayed with Rach and rested so I decided to stay here with you…cos, well you kinda scared me Montana."

The teen trailed off for a moment and revelling in the fact that she could, Quinn took the kid's hand again and squeezed reassuringly. Getting control of herself, J.D. cleared her throat and carried on, ignoring the rough quality to her tone.

"So…while you slept I practiced! I concentrated on what I wanted to do and it became possible to like, touch things and move them. I still can't find Gaby but until she gets here I figured…I mean if it's okay with you that I would maybe hang around. I mean technically I guess that my case is solved, or it will be when Santana gets the flash drive but…I don't wanna move on yet and I…"

Swallowing to clear her throat of the last of its dryness, Quinn spoke raspingly through her wired jaw.

"Jodie, you can stay as long as you want, I guess I'm getting used to having your ugly mug around…because it doesn't seem to feel right without you around to complete the family picture."

Not wanting to cry but knowing she was most likely going to, the teen threw herself (carefully) onto the bed, wrapping her arms around Quinn and hugging her as she mumbled gruffly.

"Yeah well, someone's gotta keep you from getting into too much trouble, right Montana?"

Smiling as much as she could and unknowingly mirroring J.D.'s actions as she subtly wiped her tears on her sleeve, Quinn pressed a kiss to the crown of the teen's head and whispered.

"Yeah, you got that right…so long as you're ready to be a part of perhaps the weirdest family on earth right now?"

Sitting up slightly, J.D. smirked.

"Hey, it's not like I'm being adopted by the Osborne's you know, just a woman who talks to ghosts and grows a wang every month."

Lightly cuffing the teen's ear, Quinn chuckled very carefully, unable to contain her amusement.

"We don't call it a wang kiddo, besides, I reckon you're going to be great with the kids as well, plus it would help knowing you were watching out for Rachel if I'm off chasing down leads."

Again, J.D. nodded then took in the drooping eyes of the pilot.

"Okay, well you sleep and I'll make sure things are okay while you heal, and I'll practice more, see if I can appear to Rachel somehow cos I figure that would be helpful?"

Nodding sleepily, Quinn let her eyes close again as she surrendered to the sleep her body needed to heal itself properly. Unseen or heard by either of the room's occupants, Gaby smiled gently.

"You're going to be just fine kiddo, busy, but fine."

_Okay not a very long resurgence I know and I owe many apologies for the long absence. It was due in part to the graphics chip in my laptop blowing and my brother having the gear I needed to be able to fix it! Also there have been quite a few RL incidents that you probably don't wanna know about but they knocked me down good and for quite a long time. However I'm back and so is Elizabeth (my laptop) with the first of three updates, this was first simply because half of it was already written when the chip blew. apologies for the lack of Faberry interaction in this chapter but it needed to be a bits and pieces one to introduce a few more people (and one more fandom I love lol) to the supporting cast, all of whom will be integral in one way or another to future cases that Quinn works, there's also a little more of an explanation behind what is driving Gaby. I hope it's not too rough but TBH I'm feeling very rusty skills wise but promise I'll get better! And for those wanting some healthy Faberry loving, the next update is Thin Ice and will be jam packed with it! Apologies again for my long absence and if you're still reading I appreciate your patience! Enjoy xxx_


	10. Chapter 10

Hospital's are places of healing, places of hope, miracles and in some cases such as childbirth, they can be places of insurmountable joy…however, on a Friday morning in late August, one small private hospital room in New York was the setting for a battle of epic proportions. Opponent number one, also known as nurse Jasmine Waters, narrowed her eyes and set her jaw as she once more placed the tumbler of liquefied contents down onto the bed tray. Opponent number two, more commonly referred to as Quinn Fabray, folded her arms stubbornly and eyed the bag of clothes the nurse was keeping determinedly out of her reach. Eyeing each other with identically fierce expressions, the combatants refused to back down, eventually Quinn broke the silence.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that keeping me here against my will qualifies as imprisonment, you want me to call Detective Lopez and get _her _down here to sort this out?"

Completely un-cowed by the implied threat in the pilot's words, Jasmine merely smiled (annoyingly calmly) before replying smoothly.

"Why don't we do that, then _I _can explain how you're being a pain in my ass by not doing what the doctor told you to! He only said you could go _if _you ate first, you haven't eaten therefore you can't leave…it's not rocket science Miss Fabray!"

Scowling as best as she could with a wired jaw, the blonde uncrossed her arms long enough to gesture with a flailing hand at the dubious 'meal' the nurse had brought her.

"_That _isn't even a meal…it's baby food! _I'm _not a baby!"

Smirking, the nurse couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the incredibly petulant (and indeed childlike) phrase Quinn had just uttered.

"Oh really? Because right now you are giving me more trouble than the hyperactive toddlers in the children's ward! It's just liquidised food, that's all it is, not baby food, and you need to finish it before you can go home."

Throwing her hands up in frustration, Quinn lay back down on her bed irritably.

"I feel fine, I don't need to eat something because I'm not _hungry_, I had Jell-O last night remember?"

Huffing in that particular way that nurses seemed to perfect in their training, Jasmine hefted Quinn's bag of clothes over her shoulder with one hand while placing the other on her hip pointedly.

"Protest all you want, but the fact is that _these _are coming with me and you are going nowhere until that tumbler is empty!"

Grumbling under her breath, the blonde sat back up.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I could take you in a fight if I really wanted those clothes back!"

Even as she said it however she was picking up the baby food mixture with a grimace, Jasmine just laughed.

"Oh honey, if I can handle a bodybuilder having a psychotic episode then I don't think I'd have any trouble fending _your _skinny ass off!"

At that moment Rachel breezed in with a bright smile, she had one hand protectively over her slight bump and was positively glowing. She had obviously been decorating with the guys that morning as she had on some loose dungarees liberally splashed with pale yellow paint. She also had a dab of the same paint on one cheek and specks of it in her hair…to Quinn however, she had never looked more adorable. Her scowl melted into a lovesick grin and she took a breath to speak, Jasmine however, beat her to it.

"Well I'm afraid that we're behind schedule because _somebody _is being an ass about finishing their meal!"

Growling, Quinn once again gestured to the tumbler.

"It's not a real meal! And I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to call a patient a pain in the ass, isn't it against some kind of patients' charter?"

Staring back, completely nonplussed by the pilot's sulky tone, Jasmine commented.

"Actually, if the patient in question is insistent on behaving like an ass then we are _encouraged _to point it out!"

Quinn got as far as raising a hand to flip the bird when Rachel cleared her throat pointedly, glancing across to the diminutive diva, the blonde wordlessly picked up the now lukewarm 'meal' and began to eat it, with ill grace, but eating it nonetheless. It was worth it when the brunette smiled brightly, leaning down to press a careful kiss to the less damaged side of Quinn's face. Turning to the incredulous nurse, Rachel just shrugged a shoulder and accepted the bag with the pilot's clean clothes in it.

"You just have to know how to handle her."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn carried on eating (or sipping as the case may be) her meal, she wasn't sure what it was meant to taste of but it wasn't actually as bad as it looked. Jasmine just threw her hands up and wandered off muttering under her breath about stubborn patients. Crinkling her nose in a delightful smile, Rachel perched on the edge of the blonde's bed swinging her feet eagerly. Swallowing the last mouthful, Quinn spoke as she began to change into the loose sweat pants and T-shirt.

"What on earth has got you so happy Cheerio? You're practically bouncing around the room, which, by the way, I wouldn't advise unless you want the peanuts popping out early."

Sighing dramatically, Rachel blinked wide eyes.

"Can't I just be happy that you're coming home with me finally?"

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Quinn gratefully threw her pyjamas in the bag and offered her arm to the diva.

"Well I guess that's part of it but…you forget how long I have known you Rae, I _know _when you're planning something!"

Smiling happily, the diva shrugged a shoulder and remarked lightly.

"You shall just have to wait and see won't you? But…a big part of it is having you back with me Quinn, I missed you, the peanuts missed you too."

Pausing on the way out of the main doors, Quinn bent her head down far enough to ghost a kiss across the diva's temple.

"I missed you too, so how about we get home, I wash the smell of hospital off of me and we snuggle up on that old sofa of ours…sound good?"

She was half hopeful, half pleading as she was all too aware of the fact that they hadn't really spoken to each other properly about the incident which had caused Quinn's hospital stay. In fact since the first time she woke up after speaking with J.D, Quinn hadn't seen anyone, Santana had sent her several messages asking for clarification on some things and Rachel had popped in every evening of her three-day stay, but apart from that, things had been blessedly quiet. Knowing a long talk was coming, Quinn just wanted one night where she could lie in Rachel's arms and revel in the fact she was safe and back with her family. To her relief, Rachel nodded an agreement as they slipped into the jeep.

"I think that can be arranged, have you…heard from Santana at all?"

At the not quite casual question, Quinn sighed and slumped slightly in her seat.

"Not directly no, she's texted me a few questions and wished me well but we haven't spoken…I guess it's a lot to take in if you haven't sort of lived with it. I just hope she doesn't drag me off to the local loony bin! Apart from your visits, things have been really quiet, it's been nice actually, given me time to rest up…even Gaby and J.D have been conspicuous by their absence. Looks like you have me all to yourself, at least for a while…promise to be gentle?"

Tilting her head in an effort to look adorable, Quinn figured she must have been at least halfway successful as Rachel giggled and reaching out snagged the pilot's good hand in a quick reassuring grip.

"For now yes, you need to heal first…then I get to break you again in my own particular way Froot Loop."

Grinning, the blonde kissed the knuckles intertwined with hers before Rachel had to let go to change gears.

"I can _definitely _live with that!"

Shaking her head at the lascivious light in Quinn's eyes that still shone as brightly as it did when they first got together, Rachel grinned and concentrated on the road as she filled the pilot in on all the news she'd missed. Brittany was apparently planning to tell Quinn off when she got back in a week's time for being an idiot, and her mom and Steve said pretty much the same thing but with ruder words. Quinn didn't want to know _what _words exactly, but they were rude enough that Rachel blushed just remembering them! The blonde was thankful that they still had a fortnight left of their biking holiday, hopefully in that time they would have calmed down. As they pulled into the driveway for the house and made their way to the front entrance, Quinn frowned slightly. For the past month or so, the house had been a hive of activity as decorators, movers, designers, tilers and lord knows what else had been in and out at all hours, and if they weren't physically there then their gear always was, stacked neatly but taking up space nonetheless. Now however…there was nothing, in fact it looked like a gardener had been around and mowed the grass as well as tended to the shrubs and bedding plants. Turning to her beaming fiancée, the pilot raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Okay…where's all the 'making the house pretty' stuff gone…and who did the garden, it wasn't you was it because I don't think that's a good idea with the peanuts!"

Sliding carefully from the seat of the jeep (Quinn made a note to seriously shop for that family car they were gonna need), Rachel shook her head.

"No, don't worry, Santana insisted on doing it in exchange for me feeding and looking after her for the past three days. You know how she gets when Brittany isn't around to make sure she doesn't overdo it, she went home for tonight because she said, and I quote 'you two are gonna be all lovey dovey and I don't wanna spend the night throwing up' but she's going to join us tomorrow for brunch…if that's okay?"

Fighting down what she knew was an irrational stab of jealousy, Quinn nodded.

"Yeah sure, I figured she'd want to talk about stuff soon enough."

Reaching out and taking the pilot's good hand in hers, the little diva walked them towards the front door.

"Good, because the sooner we lay all of this to rest the better! I think you must have earned at least a week of down time for ghost assistance, which gives us more than enough time to spend some quality time together. Also, Shelby is due to ring me in the next couple of days to organise my trip over to the Disney studios, I was thinking maybe…I mean if you were able…that we could go together?"

She trailed off uncertainly as she pulled the front door key from her purse, before she could slide it into the lock however, Quinn reached out and stilled the diva's hand with her own.

"Hey…no need to sound so cautious sweetheart, I'm on leave from the mechanics job because of the busted wrist anyway, and although I _could__,_fly with it I'm pretty certain that the airfield won't want me to. Besides all that, the prospect of going to Disney studios with you is something I would never pass up. I mean…I don't know if you've noticed or anything but…I kinda have a crush on you?"

Playing up to her fiancée's goofing, Rachel gasped and put a hand to her chest as if in shock.

"I'm flattered, but surely someone as gorgeous as you wouldn't be interested in someone in _my _delicate condition?"

She patted the bump and fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly, rolling her eyes in amusement, Quinn gently reached around the diva and putting her hand over Rachel's slid the key into the lock and turned it.

"Get your delicate self inside and I'll _show _you how interested I am in you."

So saying she cheekily pinched Rachel's butt, grinning when it elicited a delighted yelp. Turning within the circle of Quinn's arms, the diva hooked a forefinger into the waistband of the blonde's sweatpants and pulled her along eagerly. It was because of this distraction that the pilot didn't notice at first, in fact she was halfway up the main staircase before she realised and stopped dead in her tracks. Turning round, Rachel could no longer hide the wide grin she was sporting as Quinn stuttered out.

"It…you…finished?"

Nodding happily, Rachel took both of Quinn's hands in hers (well, one hand and the other the fingertips peeking out from the cast) and steered them gently back down the stairs.

"Yes, these last three days the guys have gone all out to get everything done before you got home. They figured that with you needing peace and quiet to heal, the noise of decorators every few seconds wouldn't be ideal. So, Blaine called in a few of his friends and Kurt contacted a decorating group he knew and…long story short we got everything done."

Feeling a mixture of overwhelming love for the diva and a sharp but painful stab of guilt for having had next to nothing to do with the house's overhaul, Quinn swallowed on a suddenly dry throat.

"Rae…I don't know what to…I mean you shouldn't have had to do all this alone! I know I'm not exactly much of a help when it comes to the finer points of decorating but…"

She was cut off when Rachel reached up on tiptoes and silenced her with a sweet kiss.

"Hush! You weren't exactly lying around drinking beer with your hands down your pants Quinn, you were working, making sure the world is a safer place for us to raise the peanuts in. And for your information the boys did pretty much everything, they wouldn't allow me to do anything but paint the middle bits of the wall that meant I didn't have to crouch or reach up!"

Relaxing slightly, Quinn rested her forehead on the diva's for a moment before kissing her.

"Well in that case…remind me to buy them a whole bar's worth of drinks! Now…as I know you're practically bursting to do so, why don't you show me around our finished house?"

Letting out a little yelp of happiness, Rachel turned and with Quinn's hand clamped in hers proceeded to do just that. The pilot was taken aback at the amount of work that had been done, true it was mostly cosmetic but even so each room had been given a little touch here and there that clearly marked it out as being 'their' home. The lounge now boasted two corner units; one in black leather and the other white, the coffee table in the centre of the room was a huge pine affair that even Quinn wouldn't be able to break. The walls had been adorned with black and white photographs of them, their friends and family from various points in their lives. But pride of place was the framed copy of the ultrasound shot that clearly showed three peanut's. Grinning with every inch of her newfound parental pride, the pilot touched a finger to the image which hung just above the white corner unit. The floor had been stripped to the floorboards, sanded, polished and varnished with a large art deco area rug that very much maintained the feel of the time the house was built in.

"White leather is a pretty brave choice considering there's three kids on the way sweetheart."

Laughing at the pilot's slightly concerned look, Rachel leaned forwards conspiratorially.

"That's the adults' lounge…the kids' lounge is much different…come on!"

Laughing delightedly, Quinn allowed herself to be dragged along and shown the rest of the downstairs. The bathroom's were virtually unchanged as it would have been a crime to do anything to the period features, however everything had been thoroughly cleaned and hauled over and the brass work of the taps shone brightly while small throw rugs (again art deco style) had been placed in each to make them more homely. The kitchen was again relatively unchanged and to keep the feel of the original style, the modern appliances were conveniently hidden away by cupboards. The utilities room however had been transformed into a feeding station for the babies and Quinn laughed as she took in the clearly marked areas for bottles to be washed, clean bottles, the fridge for prepared formula and the sterilising unit.

"Wow, this should make things a hell of a lot easier to tend to feeding at least! I take it the diaper changing table is elsewhere?"

Glancing around the pilot was confused when Rachel made her way towards what looked like a cupboard. Opening it up the diva grinned as the changing table was revealed along with shelves for the diapers, wipes and disposal bags, as well as a diaper bin. Shaking her head at the thought that she had ever doubted the brunette's organisational skills, Quinn stole a quick kiss before allowing herself to be dragged through the rest of the rooms. The dining room had been repainted so the walls were bright white, which was broken up by the black Renee McIntosh stencil work along the centre and top. The table and chairs were all art deco and the prints hung around the room were all of New York in the twenties, street scenes, candid shots and of course Times Square. Quinn couldn't help but grin however when she saw the family shot of the Deveraux family that hung over the dresser which would hopefully one day hold their wedding china. Glancing over to the diva, Rachel shrugged a shoulder before wrapping one arm around Quinn's waist.

"It seemed appropriate…don't you think?"

Murmuring that it was indeed appropriate, Quinn couldn't help but think that the black and white image of Millicent Deveraux (or Boggs) winked at her as they left the dining room. The den when they came to it was a whole other affair and was filled with most of their old comfortable scuffed up furniture as well as the smaller of their TV set's and a DVD player. As awesome as the rest of the house looked, Quinn was glad there would at least be one room where she wasn't afraid to put her feet on the table! In one corner was a toy box that had been painted to resemble a treasure chest and the blonde grinned at the thought of buying all the stuff to put into it, she may be an adult but that didn't mean she didn't still enjoy running riot in Toys R Us when given the chance. All the furniture had been made child and toddler safe (early admittedly but then this _was _Rachel after all) and unlike most of the floors which were floorboard or original tile work, this room had a thick light brown carpet that would absorb most stains. Shaking her head appreciatively, the blonde turned and pulled Rachel close to her for another not so quick kiss.

"Is there anything you and the guys didn't think of?"

Shrugging shyly, Rachel ducked her head to nuzzle into her fiancée's neck and sighed happily.

"Nope, they were awesome! Everything stayed pretty much period apart from the kids' rooms, our room and the den…oh, and your office of course."

Raising an eyebrow, the blonde pulled back far enough to catch the excited gleam in her diva's brown eyes.

"My office, I actually have an _office_?!"

Rolling amused eyes, Rachel nodded.

"Yes of course, I promised remember and I think you'll like it…but, first I'll show you the kids' room's. A friend of Kurt's is trying to break into the decorating business with the idea of producing themed rooms. He asked if he could try it out here for free and I jumped at the chance, I think you'll love it as well, come on!"

Quinn couldn't help but laugh at the little diva's enthusiasm and let herself be dragged upstairs to take in the spectacle that awaited her. And what a spectacle it was! The first room they paused outside out of had had the door replaced which she noticed straight away, instead of the polished wood it was a rough looking timber affair which she realised represented a ship when she also took in the porthole window. Grinning widely, the pilot actually jumped up and down with excitement.

"If the theme of this room is going to be what I think it is then I'm super excited already…and may fight the kids for it!"

Laughing, Rachel rolled her eyes and reaching out pushed the door open gently…grinning at the blonde's amazed gasp.

"Holy…wow!"

It was indeed a pirate themed room, from the double bed with it's Jolly Roger bedspread, to the captain's style desk and chair, it was everything an aspiring buccaneer could want! She was slightly puzzled by the fact it was a double bed but made a note to ask later, the curtains were more like sails and the toy box was yet again a treasure chest. The floors looked like floorboard but were in fact a very soft linoleum and the walls were painted with murals of the ocean and ocean related myth. On one wall was a treasure island in the distance, on another was a line of ships all flying the Jolly Roger…it was basically, amazing.

"This is fantastic but um…why is there a double bed and not a crib or something?"

Rachel smiled at Quinn's confusion and kissed away the mild frown marring her face.

"These are for when they are older of course and in the meantime we can use them as extra guest rooms if and when we need…I just thought, with the guy offering to do this for free in order to complete his portfolio, it wasn't something we should pass up…that was right wasn't it?"

At the uncertain note that had entered the little diva's voice, Quinn turned round from staring in amazement at the room and peppered Rachel's face with reassuring kisses.

"Oh it was most _definitely _right…I just hope we can keep people out of them long enough for the kids to grow into them! I can't imagine Santana passing up the chance to act like a pirate."

Laughing in relief, Rachel wrinkled her nose and admitted.

"It has been tough to convince her to use the actual guest room, she seems quite taken with this one, although she also loves the others."

Ears almost visibly pricking up at the word 'others', Quinn eagerly made her way to the next few rooms. The one next to the pirate room seemed the same at first until you entered walked into what looked like a jungle. The carpet was a dark green; there was even a huge plant pot in the two corners that framed the window, which gave the appearance of jungle foliage. The bed was again a double but this time the bedspread was a sort of leafy camouflage with the outlines of animals to be found hidden among the leaves. The murals on the walls were of jungle foliage as well, with a lioness and her cubs playing by a stream on one wall, a trio of elephants walking trunk in tail on another and the final showing a family of apes swinging through the trees. The blinds were cream and looked like the ones you saw in huts on old explorer films, the toy chest and furniture were all bamboo style with stuffed animals peeping out from all over. Turning to Rachel in awe, Quinn scratched her jaw idly with her good hand as she murmured.

"If this guy doesn't become famous then it will be a miracle…I mean, this is just amazing and definitely a room Brittany will fall in love with as soon as she set's eyes on it!"

Giggling, Rachel nodded as she confirmed.

"Yeah, that's exactly what Santana said, well, actually she sort of growled it, saying she was most likely going to have to do the same with one of her rooms at their home."

Knowing her stoic friend would in fact do anything she thought Brittany wanted, Quinn shook her head fondly, taking Rachel's hand in hers, they headed towards the final room and the blonde found herself grinning even before she entered it when she realised the door looked like an airlock.

"Ya know this guy that created the rooms…can we maybe adopt him?"

Rachel laughed aloud at the thought of them adopting the six foot five giant of a man that was James Houghton.

"Somehow I don't think that would work baby…now open the door before you combust with excitement!"

Trying to regain some of her adult composure (and failing miserably), the pilot opened the door and grinned widely. It was, as she had suspected, a space themed room, made to look like a bedroom on a space station in fact. The duvet on the double bed featured the NASA logo and there were various NASA items spread through the room including a wall bearing a plaque for each of the Apollo missions. The wall facing the bed had been painted to look like a huge view screen, the edges of which ran around the wall itself. The mural within was composed of the moon, a few satellites and constellations, which Rachel happily told her were real ones and painted with glow in the dark paint. The furniture was all very space age, clean white and shining chrome, and the blind that covered the window to the left of the bed acted like a blackout blind to complete the illusion. Rachel took one look at Quinn and realised that if she ever couldn't find the blonde anywhere else in the house then she would find her here. It took some effort to pull the pilot from the room, but with the combined kiss and flash of cleavage, Rachel managed to get her to follow her towards the last two rooms that had been changed, their bedroom and the nursery.

Shaking her head to remove childhood Star Trek-related fantasies, Quinn forced herself to focus as the diva revealed the nursery. They had both chosen the largest room to use as it would have been too big for a bedroom and they would need the space dealing with three babies at once! They had also chosen the furniture and the colour scheme together which was a neutral cream with light green accents here and there, but this would be the first time the pilot had seen how it had ended up. One side of the room had been turned into yet another feeding/changing station complete with bottle warmer, steriliser and small fridge to keep the readied formula in. The other housed three bouncers ready for the babies and two nursing chairs and footstools so both women could sit together while feeding. The walls were beige with a green border round the middle of frogs on lily pads which made the pilot smile. The carpet was a darker beige, almost light brown and the three pine cot beds were made up with the same bedding set which was a light green one with darker vine patterns here and there. The only difference was the little name plaques, which were at the end of each one, turning to Rachel the diva shrugged.

"We still need to discuss names, though I have had a few ideas, maybe we could talk about it later, after we've eaten?"

Wrapping Rachel up in her arms (and trying to avoid her cast), Quinn smiled happily, saving souls was all well and good but nothing quite compared to being with the woman she loved when it came to happiness. Kissing the tip of the brunette's nose, the pilot nodded happily.

"Sounds good to me, dinner and then a snuggle up in bed to talk about baby names and wedding plans…you in?"

Eyes twinkling, Rachel took in the very slight strain around the corners of Quinn's eyes and realising the short trip round the house had exhausted her, nodded eagerly.

"I'd say…lead the way Froot Loop!"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn took a last look at the fantastic work that had gone into the house they were making for their family then gently closed the door, leading the way to their bedroom. As hungry as she was she also couldn't deny that the attack was still taking it's toll and she felt tired and more than a bit achy. Their room was the same, comfortable with the pilot's game systems all set up along one wall with another TV and Blu-ray player. Rachel's side of the room was festooned with her Broadway memorabilia and countless photos of the old glee club performing together. The bedspread was old and maybe a little worn in some places but it was the first one they had chosen together and neither was in a hurry to replace it…even if it was a dinosaur one.

"You need to rest baby you look tired, and don't deny it because you're doing that frown thing where you try too hard to keep your eyes open! I'll get something ready for dinner, although I'm afraid yours probably won't be as nice as mine, have a shower then I'll join you."

The flesh was most definitely weak and Quinn found herself nodding sleepily as she sank into the fluffy bed, she stayed awake long enough to take two of the painkillers the doctors had sent her home with and then flaked out. Rachel sat there stroking her hands through the blonde's hair until she was sure she had fallen asleep, it was only then she left to prepare something to eat…she figured it was only fair to spoil the pilot now, because in a month or so she knew her pregnancy hormones would have her running poor Quinn ragged! An hour or so later, the smell of something divine woke the pilot who blinked groggily, she glanced across and saw Rachel happily tucking into what looked like the biggest fattest cheeseburger in the world.

"Meat! I mean…that's a meat burger, as in cow parts and you don't eat cow parts…well _any _animal parts!?"

Startled at the sleep-garbled outburst, Rachel looked like a kid caught stealing the last cookie; blinking guiltily, she sighed and licked the ketchup from the corner of her mouth.

"I know I don't…but the babies do, or at least they _seem _to want it, it's one of the only things that seem to calm them down and stop them doing the can, can…plus it stays in my stomach long enough to digest, unlike most everything _else _I've eaten."

Looking forlorn at the fact that not only was she eating meat but that she was having trouble keeping anything else down, Quinn felt her heart break slightly for the diva. Manoeuvring herself upright in the bed with her good hand, she put an arm round the diva's shoulders and brushed her lips gently across her temple.

"Hey, if it helps you and the babies then it's a good thing, I know it must not sit well with you but think how awesome it will be when those three arrive all pink and healthy! If it's any consolation, I won't be eating any meat at all with my jaw wired like this so you're only eating my share."

As if in agreement, her stomach growled at the smell of the burger and reminded her exactly how hungry she was. Smiling sweetly, Rachel put the burger back on the plate long enough to reach over and grab a sports flask from the nightstand. Quinn tried to ignore the fact her mouth was watering at just the smell of the burger and she couldn't help thinking maybe this was karmic justice for not asking for help on her last case. Sighing internally, she actually found it easy to grin when she realised what Rachel had filled the flask with.

"Don't get used to it Fabray, I'm still a little cross with you about running into this without at least telling _me _what was going on…but I also love you and you did good, so you get the triple chocolate smoothie."

Accepting the flask happily, the pilot settled back and began to sip her meal gratefully, they sat in companionable silence for a while until Rachel winced and abruptly sat upright. Spluttering milkshake down her front in concern, Quinn sat up looking closely at the diva's face for signs of any more pain.

"What is it, are you hurt, what can I do?!"

Smiling slightly, Rachel finished the last bite of burger and laid a calming hand on the blonde's forearm.

"_I'm _okay, but one of our children is going to be either a martial arts expert or a dancer, honestly it must be one that takes after you little miss track star."

Grinning in relief, Quinn settled back down and lay a soothing hand over the bump.

"Ah, I see…well you know it's as likely to be a drama queen like yourself, practicing her high kick and…"

Abruptly Quinn's mouth fell open as her eyes simultaneously fell to where her hand was caressing the bump, it was so gentle that at first she thought she'd imagined it but…there it was again! Blinking back tears, she found herself grinning like an idiot as she laughingly felt another kick under her palm.

"They…they're kicking, I mean _I _can feel them kicking now…that's…amazing, _you're _amazing Rachel Barbra Berry!"

Unaware of the tears falling freely down her face, Quinn subjected the little diva to as passionate a kiss as her wired jaw could manage and then wriggled down in the bed until her head was level with the bump. Smiling at the sheer joy in the pilot's hazel eyes, Rachel gently ran her hand through blonde locks as she listened to Quinn talking to their unborn children.

"Well, I was wondering when you lazy bums would get round to letting me know you were in there! It's great to feel you all wriggling round but remember where you're living right now kay? Don't make your poor momma too uncomfortable cos she's working so hard to make sure you little ones get everything you need in there. When you come out we're gonna make sure you get all the love in the world ever, but you gotta take care of each other in there and share okay? And look after your momma too cos she's the most wonderful woman in the world and she's gonna make the best momma, and I'm gonna try to be the best…um…poppa?"

She looked up at Rachel who reached out and cupped her face gently with the hand not playing with Quinn's hair.

"Parent, we are both going to do our best to be the best _parents_, and we're going to help each other as well as the peanuts. Now come back up here and give me a kiss before I get jealous Fabray."

Smiling, and pausing just long enough to press a final three kisses (one each) to the bump, Quinn carefully crawled back up the bed and proceeded to spend some quality time reassuring Rachel. It was difficult with a wired jaw and definitely killed the passion a little bit, it _did _however make it more romantic and sensual as the pilot concentrated on the sensations she could create with her lips alone. Almost an hour later they were both lying together contentedly, Rachel recovering from an unexpected orgasm (damn baby hormones) and Quinn inordinately pleased with herself for having caused it! Smothering a yawn, the diva turned in Quinn's arms nipping at the underside of her chin very gently and giggling when it caused a low growl.

"So…what names have you come up with? I thought of a few for both boys and girls, as we don't know what were having we should think up three of each and then whittle them down when we know…right?"

Already grinning at the thought of three babies playing happily together, Quinn hesitated for a second then ventured softly.

"I was thinking…maybe, if one of them was a girl we could consider Gabrielle or Jody?"

To her surprise Rachel smiled and nodded easily.

"I thought you would want that and I think it's a great idea, though which name would come first is the main question?"

Shrugging slightly the blonde mulled it over, listening to the sounds in her head, Gabrielle Jody or Jody Gabrielle? She liked the sound of both.

"They both sound good to me so we'll have to take a consensus I think…what about you, have you thought of any names?"

Biting her lip uncertainly Rachel nodded ever so slightly, at her obvious reticence, Quinn kissed her reassuringly and raised an expectant eyebrow. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, the diva heaved a breath before murmuring.

"Well I would love the name Jacob after my grandfather, and I also was wondering about Russell…for your dad, or would that be too weird?"

Swallowing her tears back, Quinn smiled as she was yet again surprised by just how much love was in her heart for the brunette spitfire.

"I know _he'd _love it, mom too and I didn't want to suggest it because I thought you might find it weird but…yet again you surprised me."

Grinning with a mix of relief and pleasure, Rachel let out a giggle and pulled Quinn closer to her.

"Well I have to keep you on your toes Fabray, with me rapidly becoming the size of a whale I have to keep your interest somehow."

Snorting in disbelief, Quinn propped her head on her good hand and looked down at the gorgeous woman beside her.

"Trust me when I say you will never have to keep my interest cos it won't ever stray anywhere else. One thing you should know about us Fabray's is that we are stubborn so and so's and when we make our minds up to do something, we do it!, I made my mind up that you are the one, the other half of my soul and I'll _never _willingly leave you. And one day soon we are going to stand up in front of all our family and friends and I'm going to make an idiot of myself by stuttering and messing up my vows…but nonetheless everyone will know how much I love you…so quit worrying about the weight thing okay? What could anyone possibly find ugly about a beautiful woman like you creating a safe house for our babies huh? …So shut up and kiss me!"

After all the romantic talk, she had to end it on a lighter note, something Rachel was grateful for as she proceeded to do just that. Quinn was happily surrendering herself until she felt one of Rachel's amazingly agile hands wriggle itself past her waistband, clamping her jaw shut on a groan, she forced herself to reach down and still the hand. When Rachel looked up at her in confusion, she felt herself flush bright red as she murmured.

"I just…it wouldn't be fair to you because with the cast and my jaw wired shut I cant exactly reciprocate can I?"

A dark eyebrow rose high enough to make Quinn wonder if she had lost the title of most impressive eyebrow arch. Smiling slowly, the little diva scratched her nails on Quinn's abdomen and drawled.

"Quinn, in just over a week it's your time of the month, when that happens your injuries won't matter and believe me, you will _more _than earn what I want to do to you right now. Secondly, you do realise there isn't a balance book don't you?"

At the pilot's confused frown, Rachel grinned.

"You don't have to _always _reciprocate, sometimes it's about me making you feel good and that's all I need. And if you want to get technical you did trigger an unexpected orgasm earlier which was incredibly pleasant, so consider this repayment…if you have to. Although I warn you now Fabray, the second trimester hits its stride soon and at that point I may very well use and abuse you repeatedly…so enjoy the devotion right now."

Unsure how much of that was teasing as opposed to a genuine warning, Quinn gave into Rachel's insistent gentle scratching and let go of the hand she had been restraining. Swiftly it eased past the waistband and down to where Quinn herself was surprised to find just how ready she was.

"Jesus _Christ, _Rach…I…"

A hand came up and covered her mouth gently, when Quinn looked down with a questioning eyebrow, Rachel explained in her best school teacher voice even as she carried on working her fingers expertly.

"No cursing in front of the peanut's…that was your rule remember and you wouldn't want me to have to spank you for being bad would you?"

That did it, with the expert stroking, deliberate cut glass diction and eyebrow raise to accompany the word 'spank', Quinn came undone embarrassingly swiftly. Once the last of the tremors had been coaxed out of her by a smirking Rachel, the blonde collapsed bonelessly, eyelids already drooping she murmured.

"You don't get to hold that against me Cheerio, it's the painkillers and exhaustion, that's all…I'm no one shot wonder."

Knowing all too well those words were true, Rachel still couldn't stop herself from teasing the pilot _just _a little bit.

"I know baby, besides, it's quantity not quality right?"

Unable to maintain the kidding when confronted by her fiancée's pouting face, Rachel gave in and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Quinn's mouth, settled down next to her.

"Oh you know I'm only kidding my big bad stud, now go to sleep, and tomorrow we'll have a nice early brunch with Santana and go shopping for baby clothes if you're feeling okay."

Yawning widely, Quinn reached down and ran her hand over the small of Rachel's back soothingly as she murmured.

"Course I'll be feeling okay…can we get them stuffed dinosaurs?"

Smiling tiredly, Rachel nuzzled closer.

"We'll see."

There was no reply as Quinn had already fallen asleep again, they remained that way for the rest of the night, the pilot still fighting off the after effects of the assault and the side effects of the painkillers. Rachel, because after three days of overseeing the decorating, she was also much wearier than she anticipated. They woke to the sound of the doorbell the next day and blinking the sleep from her eyes, Quinn carefully disentangled herself from the still dozing diva and glanced to the clock on the nightstand.

"Holy _shit _it's nearly twelve!"

Leaping out of bed, she instinctively knew who was at the door and swore under her breath, Santana was not the most patient person on earth, especially where food was involved! Glancing over to the sleepy diva who was only just beginning to rouse, Quinn's scowl melted into a smile for a moment and after throwing on a T-shirt she found on the floor, leaned down for a quick kiss.

"It's late, we must have slept in…I'll go down and entertain her while you wake up properly and have a shower okay?"

The doorbell went again only to be followed by Santana's impatient knocking interspersed with yells of 'Fabray!' Rolling her eyes, Quinn stole one more kiss from the sleep-addled Rachel before pelting downstairs and trying to do up her jeans at the same time.

"Hold your damn hell hounds Lopez, I'm coming as fast as I can!"

So saying she wrenched the door open with a half glare…that faded after Santana took one look at her and burst into peals of laughter, frowning the blonde stepped back to let her friend in…and got a belated look at herself in the hall mirror. The T-shirt she had thrown on was the same one that last night she had managed to spill the milkshake down, _and _it was inside out and back to front. As if that weren't bad enough, the jeans were the ones with a not so strategic rip in the crotch revealing her Superman pants underneath, and to top it all off the state of her hair just screamed out…

"Nice 'spent the night getting fucked' hair you have there Fabray? Anyone ever taught you about cleaning yourself up when you're expecting guests?"

Sighing resignedly, Quinn shut the door and tucking her hands in her back pocket's smiled sheepishly as she led the way into the kitchen.

"Um…yeah, we just sort of slept in, I think the painkillers and the recuperation might be taking a little more out of me than I expected."

Raising her eyebrow in a very clear indication of 'no shit Sherlock', Santana just shook her head.

"Well, at least you were relatively unhurt, nothing internal and no lasting damage to that thick head of yours."

The outwardly gruff words were balanced out by the light punch to Quinn's good arm that between these two spoke volumes. Smirking shyly at each other, they nudged shoulders and ended up giggling slightly, after another long moment Quinn blew out a breath and couldn't hold back any longer from asking.

"So…_do _you think I'm nuts then?"

To her disappointment Santana nodded immediately, as though there wasn't a doubt in her mind, the crushing feeling was only momentary however as the Latina spoke soothingly.

"Yeah I think you're nuts but then again I have _always _thought you were nuts…but I also believe what you told me was the truth, I know I can't prove it anymore than you can, but somehow I just know."

Thumping down onto the obscenely soft leather corner unit, both women found themselves groaning simultaneously, reminiscent of Chandler and Joey in their reclining chairs.

"It means a lot that you do believe me, I know we haven't been friends that long and you most likely believe me more so because Rachel told you it was true but…thanks anyway, it means a lot to have you on side, it's been difficult sometimes knowing that I could get arrested or worse and no one but my mom and Rae would know why."

Sighing, Santana ran a hand through her hair and after a long moments silent contemplation of the pilot, she gave a half laugh.

"You know…when you first turned up at McKinley I _knew _there was something odd about you…and I knew whatever it was would affect me, Brit and Rachel. But see, the thing is, I'm _never _friends with someone just to keep my other friends happy…if I didn't like you then I wouldn't give you the time of the day. You may be bizarre in that you occasionally grow a wang and talk to dead people, but I like you for _you. _And even if you and Rachel hadn't gotten together, _we _would still be friends…okay dumb ass?!"

Recognising this as the Latina's very own way of reassuring her that not only did she believe her but that any anger she had felt over Quinn's bull-headed approach to the case was long since gone, the pilot punched the detective's shoulder companionably and drawled.

"Whatever you say…butt head."

A voice sounding vaguely amused spoke up from just behind them.

"Have you two quite finished with the awkward female bonding ritual?"

Flushing identical shades of red, Santana and Quinn cleared their throats and murmured vaguely, laughing, Rachel settled down next to her flushed fiancée and kissed her soundly.

"Cut it out Berry, we're meant to be going out to eat! I deliberately didn't eat last night because I wanted to get my money's worth so don't put me off by being all…pervy with each other."

Quinn as usual was the one embarrassed, Rachel however just smirked to herself and placed one hand possessively on the flushed blonde's waistband.

"Santana you know very well if I was being pervy my hand would already be…"

Carefully but amazingly quickly, Quinn slid Rachel from her lap onto the sofa and leapt up with an apologetic smile as she headed for the stairs.

"Gonna get changed so we can head to the restaurant!"

Santana smirked at the amused expression on her best friend's face, but she also couldn't help noticing the very faint gleam of something else. Leaning forward, the Latina clicked her fingers in front of Rachel's face to regain her attention. Starting slightly, the smaller brunette gave an apologetic smile as she settled back into the sofa to wait for Quinn.

"Okay Berry…spill, what's on your mind, and before you say it doesn't matter please bear in mind that in the past few years I've dealt with knowledge of Quinn's unique biology, her ability to talk and interact with the dead and of course a hormonal pregnant you! Believe me when I say that whatever it is, I think I can deal!"

Scrunching her nose up in thought, the little diva sat back in the leather and bit her lip.

"I mean it's nothing major, certainly not anything to really complain about and before I just ignored it. I don't know if it's become more prominent in my mind because of the pregnancy hormones and approaching the second trimester but…"

She paused at the Latina's confused look and explained.

"The horny phase, for want of a better explanation!"

Pulling a face, Santana mock shuddered but when she saw Rachel preparing to shut down, she stopped and lay a hand on her friend's shoulder gently.

"I'm kidding! Look, whatever it is you need to talk to someone and with Brit away and gay boys not really being any good in this instance, it falls to me to be that someone…so spill already!"

Smiling gratefully Rachel leant forwards, she actually felt slightly disloyal but she really did need a few…pointers in this case, as she was all too aware how keeping things to oneself could ruin a good relationship.

"Well, it's not that we haven't always had a healthy sexual relationship because we _have, _it's just that…well, I wish she was a little more…um, commanding I suppose. I love that she takes care of me and treats me so well but every so often…"

She trailed off and suppressing a shudder at thinking about her two friends fucking each other, Santana took up the narrative for her.

"You'd rather get fucked than be made love to?"

Blinking in mild surprise, Rachel nodded.

"For you that was extremely eloquent Santana! But yes…that's _exactly _what I mean! She _will _be more commanding but only when I prompt her to be which defeats the object entirely. I love her _so _much, but the pregnant me is quite a dirty little minx and seems to want a little more kink in her diet."

Grimacing, the Latina held up a hand.

"Okay, as much as I love you both, don't use words like sex and appetite together before we go out to eat or that's all I'm going to be able to see!"

Rachel smirked and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Tough few weeks without Brittany around huh?"

Fighting her own flush of embarrassment now, the Latina managed to growl out.

"You have _no _idea Berry!"

Reaching out, the little diva impulsively hugged her prickly friend and sighed slightly as she noticed the detective was wearing yet another crumpled shirt.

"Goodness Santana, can't you even iron a shirt without Brit there? No wonder she makes me check on you!"

Rolling her eyes, Santana gently disengaged from the hug.

"Don't start lecturing me Berry, it's bad enough at work…besides which I think we were talking about you weren't we…I don't see why you don't just tell her."

Sighing, Rachel chewed her lower lip as one hand unconsciously continued to try and straighten out the Latina's collar.

"Because she's like you, she puts up a good front but she's actually very insecure about some things, and one of those things is her body. I think it's why she holds back when we…ya know, do it during the time she has her co pilot. It's like she's ashamed of it despite me repeatedly telling her and reassuring her she's sexy _every _day of the month! Do you think maybe you could…?"

She trailed off hopefully, mildly disappointed when the Latina shook her head almost immediately. Noting the crestfallen look, Santana ran a hand through her hair and spoke hesitantly, trying to explain.

"It's like you said Rach, she's like me, and if it was me then the worst person that could talk to me about it is the person I have to act toughest in front of. Don't ask me why we act that way around each other we just do, but if I tried to talk about this, we'd more than likely _both _end up in the hospital…Brittany on the other hand would be able to do it without ruffling any feathers or arousing her, um, suspicions about why the issue was even being talked about."

Rachel raised both her eyebrows in mild disbelief at that, despite having known the blonde dancer almost as long as she had Santana, she still found herself discovering things about her that came as a surprise.

"Do you think she would? I mean, without it upsetting Quinn?"

Santana grinned as she replayed some of her more memorable experiences with Brittany over in her mind…a little too long perhaps as a sharp elbow in the ribs brought her back down to earth.

"Ow, jeez when are you going to get some baby fat on those elbows Berry! Okay already leave it with me…and in the meantime just…try dropping hints or something."

She trailed off with a shrug and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Hmm I think I'll wait for Brittany actually, as much as I love you Santana sometimes your advice can be less than constructive!"

Harrumphing slightly and crossing her arms in a deliberately belligerent pose, the Latina mumbled.

"Well, I've never received any complaints…per se."

Huffing, Rachel readjusted herself on the sofa wondering idly what was taking Quinn so long.

"Oh really? Because after following your advice your partner got a black eye!"

Sitting up sharply, the Latina smirked as she pounced on this precious piece of gossip and Rachel mentally scolded herself for leaking it.

"_That's _how she got that? She told me it was from a game of one on one!"

Shifting awkwardly in her seat, Rachel flicked her hair over her shoulder and sighed again before admitting reluctantly.

"Well it wasn't…apparently she tried to do whatever it was you told her to do on the ride home from the hospital that night and the black eye was the result!"

Trying not to laugh aloud at that news, Santana couldn't help but slide the pieces of the puzzle together, it certainly explained why Sam always found some other place to be when they had to go see Doc Frasier. Her humour petered out however as she realised she might have inadvertently caused a problem between the two women.

"Firstly, how the hell do _you _even know this, and secondly how could she turn 'show her how you really feel' into something that got her smacked in the face?!"

Rachel straightened a non- existent crease out of her red summer dress and explained.

"I found out because when I dropped those plated meals into the station house, you're welcome by the way, I happened to walk in on the Doc leaving your's and Sam's office looking distinctly displeased. When I stepped inside Sam was quite distraught, I asked what on earth had happened and she told me. I knew straight away where you had gone wrong with your advice, you've said before how much Sam can sometimes remind you of Quinn and what do you think _she _would have done with that advice?"

Snorting slightly, the Latina smirked.

"Knowing her, probably just taken it to mean act on her desires and lunge in for a kiss without actually talking about anything properly first."

She laughed slightly then abruptly sobered when she saw Rachel's pointed look, groaning she face palmed.

"She _didn't_!?"

Nodding slightly, Rachel patted the Latina's knee and carried on brightly.

"Yes, I'm afraid she did…but its okay now I told her what to do to clear everything up between them and hopefully that will work, just don't give her hassle about the black eye Lopez!"

Rolling her eyes, the detective held her hands up in surrender.

"I'm not gonna lie it's going to be hard…but I will certainly try my hardest to resist!"

Knowing that was the best she could hope for, Rachel was about to lever herself from the sofa and find out where Quinn was when she caught the familiar scent of her cologne. Smiling, she turned and sure enough the blonde was rushing down the stairs fastening the cuffs of a light blue oxford shirt, she'd also put on the grey slacks that Rachel loved and had somehow tamed her hair. Looking up, she returned the diva's smile and despite the disgusted snort from Santana, she leaned in to steal another kiss before offering her arm which Rachel gratefully took.

"Come on then, food awaits…well at least for _you two _food awaits, I'm gonna have to ask them if they can liquidise pancakes and syrup for me."

Despite this minor grumble, Quinn was ridiculously happy to be spending an afternoon with her gorgeous fiancée and her best friend, as it turned out the restaurant _could _liquidise pancakes and syrup, with the help of a little milk, and so the blonde ended up (sort of) eating what she had wanted to. Although she _did _find it difficult to suppress a moan of desire at the aroma of the bacon and eggs both Rachel and Santana piled onto their plates. As they ate, Quinn expanded slightly on the case she had just worked, although she had gone over everything leading up to it and the need to do what she had done, she hadn't actually explained what she had gained from it. Several plates, or in Quinn's case, beakers of food later, Santana sat back in her chair reluctantly impressed with the way the pilot had gone about retrieving the data.

"I hate to say it but…that was actually fucking smart, the only dumb ass aspect of the whole plan was not taking anyone who was actually alive with you."

Sighing, Quinn was honest enough to admit her friend was right and acknowledged it with a slight nod, stretching in her seat, Santana cracked her spine into place and then drummed her fingertips on the tabletop before asking the question that could cause an argument to erupt.

"So…Tina has the memory stick for now but what are you going to do with it next?"

Knowing what Santana was getting at, Quinn squeezed an anxious Rachel's hand (the diva had noticed the slight shift in the atmosphere as well) smiled and replied honestly.

"I'm going to give it to you, I'm no cop Santana…I'm an expectant parent who flies planes and fixes cars. This is your territory, from your confidential informant, just promise me you'll get them all."

Having seen the after effects of the flesh peddling monsters like that engaged in, the Latina's expression hardened and reaching across, she gripped Quinn's shoulder firmly.

"Trust me, Sam and I will get every single one of the bastards, even if it takes me the rest of my life!"

After a moments silent understanding between the friends, they separated and sat back with full contented bellies and more importantly contented souls. Placing a gentle kiss to Rachel's temple, Quinn hesitated then ploughed ahead with her second request.

"I need you to let two people in on the news as soon as you can possibly can however and I know technically you can't because it's an ongoing investigation but…"

Santana held up a hand and once the pilot fell silent, she smiled softly and answered the question before it was even asked.

"I will make sure that Jodie's parents are informed of the true nature of their daughter's death, it's already in the works, I just wasn't sure when to do it. Once I have that info, I'll talk to my Captain and get it done, you have my word Q."

Settling back in her seat, Quinn found herself wiping away a tear at the thought of the lanky teenager who she admitted privately she was missing like mad since she'd disappeared with Gaby to do whatever it was ghosts did when they weren't appearing to her. Rachel knew how much the kid meant to Quinn and she kissed her softly on the cheek before grinning between the pilot and Santana.

"Now…who fancies a trip to Toys R Us to go and do some of the more _fun _baby shopping!"

There was a flurry of movement as the two overgrown kids flung cash on the table and scrambled to get to the car., Rachel tried very hard not to laugh as she watched them rushing off, trying to trip each other. She may have one weird ass family but it was _her _family, so as far as she was concerned it was the best one in the world!


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay, here we are with another slow chapter of GLF, it's mostly mushy romance and family stuff, however it does make way for the action that will hit soon! I just figured it was fair to give Quinn some chance to heal and spend time getting ready to be a parent. She will need to do so pretty soon because in two chapters time the triplets are arriving…will they arrive trouble free or will there be things that may just throw a spanner in the works? LOL you shall find out soon! (Just bear in mind that this is my slightly wacky story so pretty much anything could happen!) Oh, and just a quick note, Shelby __**is **__Rachel's mom in this story but no one apart from Shelby is aware of this, however that isn't the conclusion a concerned Quinn will mistakenly reach when she adds two and two in coming chapters and ends up with five. I hope you enjoy the chapter even if it isn't quite action packed, as always feel free to let me know you're still interested…or not. Love to ya'll xxx_

The trip to Toys R Us had been…eventful, it wasn't _every _day a person was hailed over the loudspeaker to go and pick up their best friend and girlfriend from the information area because they had been speeding around the bike aisles on micro scooters! Quinn at least had the grace to look slightly ashamed of herself, unlike Santana who was just grumbling about not being able to complete their race. One sharp look from Rachel however and she subsided as well. The rest of the shopping trip went off without incident and soon they were headed home with the necessary supplies, as well as, (thanks to Quinn) every conceivable stuffed dinosaur the shop kept in stock. Back home, Quinn insisted that Rachel put her feet up as she had noticed the little diva wincing slightly as she slid from the jeep. Once the brunette was seated comfortably on the leather corner unit with some ginger biscuits and chamomile tea, Quinn corralled Santana into helping her unload the shopping. Bringing in the last of the bags, the pilot noticed that Rachel had started to doze and shushing Santana, who flipped the bird as she hadn't even been _making _any noise, tiptoed over to gently move the mug from the arm of the sofa. Placing a gentle kiss on her fiancées forehead, Quinn crept back out and pulled the door too, once they were both in the kitchen she grabbed a soda gratefully before passing one to Santana.

"I'm glad she's having a nap, I've been kinda worried about her…like maybe she's doing too much and I'm not doing enough."

Trailing off with a guilty sigh, Quinn played with the ring pull on her can, Santana watched her friend silently for a moment then, smirking, nudged her roughly with an elbow.

"Don't get so down on yourself Fabray, besides which, the things you perceive her to have done she actually _didn't _do. The house was pretty much done by the rainbow decorating group, little miss dynamite in there chose the colours and shouted out a lot of orders…ya know, all the things she's best at?"

Despite herself, Quinn couldn't help but return Santana's smirk.

"Okay, okay already…there is one thing I _can _do though, and if you have the afternoon free, it's the type of task you might actually enjoy helping me with?"

Santana raised one dark eyebrow coolly as she sipped her soda.

"Q, if you're about to suggest something freaky…"

Pulling a face, the pilot pulled back to thump the detective's shoulder.

"Firstly, gross! And secondly, _no_, that isn't something that even crossed my mind, although it worries me that it's obviously crossed yours! What I _actually _meant was, I need to go and find a car or some mode of transport that's easy for her to drive and is going to be safe for three babies to travel in."

Draining her soda can eagerly, Santana linked her arm through Quinn's and started dragging her towards the door.

"Come on then, let's get going already, car shopping is something I _don't _mind doing, even if it is for a family car, plus you need me for this, because no offence Fabray, but you can't haggle for shit!"

The protesting Quinn just had time to write a quick note to Rachel explaining where they had gone, before she found herself hauled into Santana's beat up old car, headed towards the first of many car dealerships. Although no solid decision was made that day, Quinn did bring home various different brochures for the diva to leaf through in order to choose those she thought would be best. Santana stayed until early evening then left the lovebirds to it, stating that she _really _had to sort the apartment out before Brittany got home that weekend and discovered the mess she reverted to living in when left alone. Quinn and Rachel spent a relaxed evening curled up together on the sofa watching a Futurama marathon before making their way up to bed. The day had obviously taken a lot more out of Rachel than she had expected because she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Having taken several painkillers before bed, Quinn was anticipating a nice long chemically induced lay in…as usual however, it didn't quite pan out that way! The first thing she became aware of was a finger poking her ear lightly (yet again!), grunting she swiped at it and tried to bury herself even further under the duvet. The persistently poking finger however merely changed it's target and tickled the inside of her knee instead, half growling, half chuckling, Quinn swiped at it again and pulled the exposed leg into the duvet cocoon. Feeling secure in the quilted hideaway she had just concocted, the pilot smiled sleepily to herself and let her eyes slide close again…only for them to fly open abruptly when someone pinched her ass. Yelping from the shock more than the ever so slight pain, she kicked the duvet off with a scowl, pregnant or not, Rachel was in for some championship level pouting! Except it _wasn't _Rachel…hurling her arms around the visitor, Quinn didn't even to try to keep the happy tears from sliding down her cheeks and onto the teen's shoulders.

"J.D! God I…never thought I'd get to say this, but I missed you like mad, are you okay? Where have you been? You didn't get into any kind of trouble with the higher up's did you? Because if you did I can try explaining that it was all because I…"

J.D's eyebrows were so high on her head that they were practically part of her hair line, her mouth was moving but she was so taken aback at the pilot's verbal deluge she couldn't find words. Luckily for her however she didn't need to, Gaby's chuckle sounded from the other side of the bed where she was leaning on the windowsill with a fond smile.

"Calm the motor mouth Fabray! You're gonna scare the poor kid off…and why don't _I _get the same treatment, I'm most definitely not feeling the love here ya know?"

Grinning as widely as she was able to, the pilot launched herself off the bed and into her best friend's arms eagerly, the two of them toppled over giggling to land on the floor (Gaby being sure to protect Quinn's casted wrist) in a heap.

"Of course you do you irritating pain in my ass! I know you said I needed private time to heal and all that, but…I kinda, ya know…miss you guys when you aren't around, even though _you, _my friend, have no boundaries whatsoever and somehow it seems J.D is picking up your bad habits!"

Gaby opened her mouth to protest but with the combined assault of J.D's emphatic nodding in order to negate herself of any blame, and Quinn's _already _disbelieving eyebrow raise, she just huffed and waved a hand airily.

"Whatever! Geez you treat me like this and then wonder why I don't come round more often!"

Rolling amused hazel eyes, Quinn levered herself back to her feet to sit on the edge of the bed, glancing between the two grinning spectres.

"So…is there another job already, is that why I see you now, or is there a problem, something else going on?"

Although she attempted to keep her tone light, there was a trace of hurt in it that made Gaby flinch guiltily. Clearing her throat, the redhead smiled apologetically and plopped down cross-legged on the floor, J.D sat next to Quinn, seeming to need as well as want the physical contact.

"I'm sorry Sherlock, sometimes the rules I have to follow aren't fair…truth is, while you risk your life for souls you've never met the higher up's tend to forget you have one of your own. I _had _to leave you for a bit, partly because as much as you seem intent on shrugging it off, you were hurt pretty badly and needed the time to just be with Rachel. But the other part…well, that's a _little _more complicated but a whole _lot _happier!"

Quinn quirked a puzzled eyebrow at that and glanced at J.D, the teen shrugged a shoulder casually, but there was a sly smile she couldn't _quite _contain from breaking across her lips.

"Okay, would you two just come out with it already!"

The teen giggled at Quinn's playfully exasperated tone, Gaby however just sniffed haughtily.

"Well, if you're going to get all bossy about it…"

At Quinn's playful glare she relented however, glancing once more at J.D. her expression visibly softened and suffused with genuine joy as she started to speak.

"Your work down here is creating a stir with the higher up's, you aren't only doing what's expected of you, you're doing one hell of a lot more than that. Take J.D.'s case for instance, all you had to do was prove she didn't kill herself, what you _actually _did was prove that and bring down an entire child slavery ring! To say you went above and beyond doesn't quite cover it, however, there are the possibilities of this bringing unwanted attention as well, so the higher up's have decided to send you a little extra help."

Frowning slightly, Quinn couldn't help but feel like she might have had a conversation similar to this before, although she couldn't quite grasp when or where it had taken place. Gaby smiled internally, knowing full well that the athlete wouldn't be able to remember the dream conversation the two of them had, had. Clearing her throat to corral Quinn's wandering attention, the spectre carried on with her news.

"Because a large part of your welfare is intertwined with that of your family, it was decided that Rachel should have her own guardian angel, someone who can instantly find you if you're needed, someone who has a close connection to you."

Brow creasing in thought, the athlete glanced between the two ghosts speculatively.

"So…you're going to be _Rachel's _angel as well as mine?"

As Gaby rolled her eyes, J.D couldn't help but laugh and nudge Quinn's side gently.

"Geez Montana you don't listen do you? She's getting an angel of her own…_me_, I'm going to watch over her for you, and the babies when they arrive of course!"

Quinn seemed in a state of shock and the teen's smile faltered slightly, fiddling with her friendship bracelet awkwardly she mumbled.

"Um, I mean…only if you want, there are other people more qualified to do it I guess, but, cos we have a sort of connection already I guess they thought…"

Before she could grow any more insecure about the pilots lack of reaction, she found herself letting out a yelp of surprise as she was tackled into a bear hug. Holding the teen close, Quinn felt all of her rapidly growing maternal instincts blossoming outwards; the reason she couldn't speak yet was because she was choked with emotion. Seeing J.D. start to question whether she was welcome or not had, however, spurred her into action, that action being a hug that she hoped would convey everything her brain seemed unable to articulate at that particular moment. Over the teen's shoulder Quinn caught Gaby's eye, and blinking the tears out of her own, mouthed the words 'thank you!' the redhead winked and mouthed back that she was welcome. After a few immeasurable moments of heavy silence, the pilot cleared her throat, ruffling the protesting, giggling teenager's hair.

"I'm _definitely _okay with that kiddo, in fact I'm sort of over the moon about it, though how this is going to work is beyond me, I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happier than a fat kid in a donut shop about you being here…but how on _earth _is this going to work if Rach can't see you or hear you?"

Gaby rose smoothly to her feet and spoke, even as the teen opened her mouth to reply.

"This is where _I _take over kiddo, the explanation is kind of…complicated."

Waiting for J.D.'s reluctant nod, Gaby smiled and turned to her friend who was getting that frustrated look she wore whenever things weren't going fast enough for her.

"While I'm technically your guide as you work through the jobs you're given, I'm _not _an actual guardian angel, J.D. is, or will be at least, therefore the rules she's governed by are sort of different."

Yawning as much as she could with her jaw wired shut, Quinn shook her head slightly.

"If this is going to get complicated then I need food first, and preferably before Rachel comes back from the market and see's me talking to myself again."

J.D's stomach gave a gurgle of sympathy for the blonde's own hunger pangs and Gaby shook her head at the two of them.

"Still thinking with your stomach huh Fabray? Okay, well let's take this down to the kitchen then because I'd rather not have to go through it all twice!"

Grinning, Quinn grabbed her robe from the back of the door and slipping her feet into the zombie slippers that Santana had brought her on her last birthday, led the way down to the kitchen. Ten minutes later and armed with a large mug of filter coffee, a beaker of blended Froot Loops and two straws, Quinn gestured for Gaby to commence with the great reveal. Rolling her eyes at the way the blonde sucked the pureed cereal into her mouth with an almost sexual groan of gratification, the ghost sat on the kitchen counter and began to explain.

"Okay, now normally a guardian angel is just as you've described, seen and not heard! However, your condition and position in the grand scheme of things is somewhat unique, all this means that we've had to rethink how things usually work. The result is there's a sort of ritual that we need to perform."

At the blonde's wide eyes, Gaby rushed to reassure her before she could swallow her incredibly full mouth to ask the question the ghost knew she wanted to.

"Whoa calm down Fabray! When I used the word little it's because it's something _very _small and personal, it doesn't include chicken's blood or altars or anything else worrying…sheesh, you really _do _watch too much Discovery Channel!"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn went back to 'eating' her cereal as she casually flipped Gaby the bird. Hearing J.D. giggle and belatedly remembering she was now supposed to be setting the teen an example, she flushed slightly and muttered an apology. Sighing the sigh of the put upon, Gaby carried on.

"_Anyway_…as I was saying before, after this is done, Rachel will be able to see, hear and interact with J.D fully."

It was the teenager that interrupted her this time as she hadn't known this herself.

"Really?! You mean like…well, like I was alive again?"

The last two words came out almost in a whisper and at the mix of hopefulness and bewilderment in her voice, Gaby's face softened into a gentle smile, she nodded while Quinn watched on, fascinated.

"Yeah kiddo…this is something that doesn't happen very often for obvious reasons, such as the fact people who might recognise you as you were before are still around. But you bonded with Quinn on an emotional level, and she needs that almost as much as, if not more than, Rachel."

Looking to the pilot who had just finished her cereal, Gaby raised her eyebrows; somehow Quinn just knew that it was time for her to be honest with J.D. about how she felt. Something she had always been loathe to do beforehand as she had known the teen spectre would need to pass on and out of her life at some point. Now, however, the expression in Gaby's eyes was telling her that however things ended up playing out, she needed to tell J.D. how she felt about her, for the kid's sake as well as hers. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Quinn tried not to fidget as despite her very open and loving family, she still found emotional openness awkward.

"J.D…I knew when I met you that something had sort of, flicked a switch inside me, but until recently I didn't fully comprehend what that switch was or what it meant. The truth of it is that becoming a parent was something I constantly worried about, I mean what if the babies are born and I suck at it, or I don't know how to connect with them properly. Then you came along and I just knew…I _knew _that I could do it, that I could be maternal, because that's what I felt when I met you. I wanted to look after you, protect you, hug you, scold you…I mean I know you had, or have, parents, but…_despite _that I feel like you're mine, I love you as though you're my own daughter Jodie and having you join our somewhat unique family is more than I could have dared hope for."

For a moment there was silence, then J.D. rushed forward into Quinn's arms, holding her close, the pilot closed her eyes and smiled, although the gruff teen wasn't able to verbally say that she had felt the same sort of link, she was doing so with her hug and the way she relaxed into Quinn's arms. After a moment, Gaby reluctantly interrupted them when she spoke quietly.

"I hate to break up the love-in…but I need to finish this explanation before Rachel returns and we have to commence with the ritual."

At her friend's quizzical eyebrow raise, the redhead shrugged a shoulder.

"It takes a lot out of me to complete it is all, and that means _you're _going to have to be the one to explain it all to Rachel, and no offence Sherlock but your attention levels aren't always at their best when you're distracted…which is all the time!"

J.D. laughed at that and playing up for the teens amusement, Quinn puffed her chest out proudly before crossing her arms and raising a challenging eyebrow.

"Name _one _time, _one _time Gabrielle Armaro, that I got so distracted I didn't know what was going on around me!"

Grinning cheerily, Gaby held up a hand and began to count down on her fingers.

"Cheerleader camp when you were so busy drooling over the coach you somersaulted directly into the pyramid and sent everyone tumbling! Science class sophomore year when you added the wrong chemicals together and set fire to the bench because you were trying to read comics at the same time. The field trip to that ranch when a branch smacked you off your horse because you were plane watching. That time at the pool when…"

Holding her hands up in a very hurried surrender, Quinn spoke swiftly.

"Okay, okay! Geez…I said _one _incident not a list, and I get the point, I'll pay attention!"

Smiling sweetly, Gaby waited until Quinn directed her full attention to what she had to say, although one hand remained wrapped around J.D.'s shoulders as the teen seemed reluctant to separate from her.

"Good, now back to the point in hand, for Jodie to be an efficient guardian angel she needs to be able to interact with not just you and Rachel but the world in general. And as this situation doesn't occur often and is indeed considered 'special circumstances', it's been decided that in a very real sense Jodie will get her life back."

Next to her, Quinn heard rather than felt the sharp intake of breath the teen took, holding her closer, soothingly, the pilot spoke for her.

"But what about the issues you raised, the fact that her parents and friends will still be around?"

Swinging her legs back and forth, Gaby carried on with her explanation trying to keep it as brief as possible for both the shocked and hopeful teen and the easily distracted pilot.

"Quite, in order to combat that, Jodie's appearance will adjust when the ritual is completed, not drastically, but she will become the age she was meant to be had her death not occurred. In addition to that she has to promise not to contact anyone from her previous life, this may sound harsh but it is for not only _her _personal growth but for that of her parents as well. They are learning to deal with the truth and to forgive each other and move on, they have their own paths and destinies, and Jodie, _you _have to trust that this decision wouldn't have been made if it were not the best for all those concerned."

Seeing Jodie lost in thought, Quinn nodded to Gaby, letting her know that she had this. Turning to face the teen, she absentmindedly tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and spoke softly.

"It's a tough decision to make kiddo, if you can't do it then I'm not going to think any less of you, God knows you have _more _than earned the right to just pass on and rest in peace, and giving up everything you had to be with a family you don't know that well is a big risk. The only thing that matters to me is that you make the decision that's going to be right for _you_."

J.D. looked thoughtful for the longest time, mostly looking inwardly though occasionally her gaze would flick to Quinn or Gaby, both of whom were waiting patiently for the girl's decision. Eventually Jodie drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders, her decision had obviously been made.

"Before…all this, maybe I'd have said 'go to hell' or just walked out on you both…but things are different now. I know there's more going on than I'll most likely ever understand so I have to go with what I _do _know. And what I do know is that my parents are gonna be okay now, I also know that what you do is so important, that it re-balances the scales when something sends them out of whack…and I do know, that you love me like a daughter already, and that I love you like I loved my own mom."

Smiling shakily, Quinn hastily repeated the mantra in her head, _dontcrydontcrydontcry! _And just kept hold of the teenager she secretly never wanted to let go of. Smiling back, J.D. squeezed the pilot's hand as she finished in a soft, almost shy tone.

"I know you might see it as a big decision to make, but to me the decision was made when you first agreed to help me Montana…I'm staying with you and Rachel, if she's agreeable to it that is."

Smiling so widely her wired jaw throbbed, Quinn kissed the teen's forehead and spoke just as softly.

"I think a part of her loves you already kiddo, you did save my ass after all, via the peanuts granted, but it was you that did it!"

After giving them a moment to be mushy, Gaby cleared her throat to regain their attention.

"Right, now _that's _all explained I suppose we should go for a while so you can explain it all to Rachel. When you've done so and she tells you what she thinks about it all, call me and we'll be back to complete things, okay?"

Reluctantly letting go of J.D., Quinn nodded and watched the teen head back over to Gaby, letting out a breath she ran her good hand through her hair.

"Okay, get out of here before I don't let you…and just make sure you get here _exactly _when I call so I don't worry!"

Gaby smirked and shoved gently at J.D.'s shoulder.

"Ha, get used to that kiddo, overprotective parental Montana headed your way!"

Groaning slightly and rolling her eyes, Jodie couldn't quite keep the pleased light out of her eyes. Quinn just shot a playful glare at Gaby as she watched them disappear with a half smile, glancing down at herself she sighed before muttering.

"_Okay, _look's like I better get dressed and sort myself out, this could be a somewhat… interesting conversation with Rach!"

Chuckling to herself, she rinsed the beaker she'd used for breakfast and popped it into the dishwasher before heading back upstairs, still unable to get the grin off her face at the prospect of J.D. becoming a part of their family. By the time Rachel got back from the market Quinn was dressed in jeans and a grey v-neck sweater, smiling happily she went out to help Rachel from the jeep.

"Hey you, I _told _you to wake me and I'd take you to the market, you shouldn't be lugging shopping bags around in your condition, not to mention struggling in and out of this old thing."

Accepting Quinn's help gratefully, the little diva allowed herself to be half lifted with Quinn's good hand. Reaching up, she placed a soft kiss on her fiancés lips then reflexively winced at a twinge in her lower back. Before she could even open her mouth to protest the fact that Quinn herself only had had the use of one hand to unload the groceries, she found herself propelled into the comfortable chair the pilot had moved into the kitchen. Despite her casted hand, it took only three trips for Quinn to bring everything in and she immediately put the kettle on to boil for tea, leaning down she brushed a kiss across Rachel's temple before carrying on the conversation she had been in the middle of outside.

"Why'd you let me sleep in huh? I would have come with you baby."

Reaching up to pat Quinn's cheek lightly, Rachel shrugged a shoulder.

"I'm used to getting up early these days Froot Loop, and you were so exhausted last night I just wanted to let you sleep in, and despite your assertions young lady, getting the snot kicked out of you is a lot more wearing than being pregnant…for now anyway."

Stealing one more kiss, the pilot went back to finish making the tea before joining Rachel at the kitchen table.

"Well…I'll let you get away with it just this once, but next time I'll sulk and pout and all those other things that mean I'm not happy! And we are _definitely _getting a new car this afternoon, that's not even a question because watching you struggle in and out of that jeep makes me wince let alone you."

Chuckling at Quinn's imitation of the look she made whenever she saw Rachel struggling in and out of the car, the diva swiped at her leg before acquiescing.

"Okay, well you know the ones I like and I know we can afford it but don't let yourself get ripped off, and don't go getting any accessories that we don't need, you know what those salesmen can be like!"

Popping off a cheeky salute, Quinn settled down with Rachel's hand in hers, just enjoying being with her for a few peaceful moments. However, there was work to do and definitely some explaining so taking a deep breath, the pilot assumed a casual tone and started.

"You're not gonna believe who stopped by this morning while you were out…"

An hour, and several cups of tea later, Rachel was settled back in the chair while Quinn rubbed her feet softly, soothing the aches that had gathered there from just the one simple shopping trip. She knew Quinn was masking her own enthusiasm as she didn't want to colour the diva's decision with her own desires, smiling softly, Rachel tilted her head slightly as she spoke quietly.

"You don't have to you know?"

Looking up with true confusion, the only less than elegant reply the blonde could come up with was…

"Huh?"

Setting her lukewarm chamomile tea down, Rachel gestured for Quinn to join her, masking her trepidation, the pilot moved back to her own seat, wrapping her arm around the diva who immediately snuggled closer.

"You don't have to worry about forcing me into a decision based on the way you feel…and before you even attempt to object, remember how well I know you!"

Chuckling at the slightly guilty look on Quinn's face, she reached up and brushed her hand through tousled blonde locks, immediately the pilot relaxed.

"I know how much you love that kid Quinn, you never even had to say it, I could see it in your eyes whenever you talked about her. She helped bring you back to me and the peanuts baby, even if she hadn't and I _didn't _feel the same way as you, there's no way I would deny her, or you, the chance to explore your maternal connection with her. As it happens, however, I feel I already know and love her as one of our children, I know that's extremely strange but I really don't know how or even if I can explain it any better than that. It just feels incredibly, _right _that she join us…you know?"

Swallowing her tears down, Quinn cleared her throat and nuzzled further into Rachel's arms.

"Yeah, I know _exactly _what you mean and I can't explain how happy this is gonna make me, her and you! I guess I should call them down and we can do this, ritual, whatever it is, maybe we should go into the lounge for that though, a little more comfortable than the kitchen huh?"

Smiling, Rachel nodded her agreement, but as she stood up she suddenly remembered something and let out a yelp of excitement, jumping a clear foot in the air Quinn whirled round in shock."

"What, what is it, what happened?!"

Holding a hand out to lay on the pilot's arm and calm her, Rachel was quick to explain.

"Calm down, I just remembered something that I think might be appropriate to this situation!"

At the blonde's confused look, Rachel went on to explain.

"Well, when I gave you the tour of the house the other day I missed your office remember? But now, and considering this ritual is connected with ghost business, I think it's the perfect time to show you what we came up with for you."

Taking in the diva's gleeful smile (and admitting to a renewed sense of curiosity) Quinn nodded, wrapping her good hand around the diva's, she inclined her head towards the staircase.

"Lead the way gorgeous."

Almost skipping with glee, now that she had rested, Rachel led the way up the stairs, past the second storey and up towards the attic rooms, which they were mostly using for storage…or so Quinn thought. As they reached the landing she saw that while the door on the left hand side was the same solid wood it had been when they moved in, the right had been replaced. Instead of the solid wood, it was now half wooden with a large clouded glass panel that had been inscribed with gold leaf to read _Quinn Fabray Private Investigator (Unusual Cases A Specialty). _Laughing at the inscription, the pilot ran a hand across the lettering, then, taking a deep breath she entered her new office. And couldn't help the grin that lit her features as she took in how much thought had gone into the décor, one half of the office was a stereotypical 1950's P.I. office, desk, chair, filing cabinets, hat rack complete with trench coat and trilby, and of course the two battered brown leather sofa's (that had recently been in their flat) for waiting clients. Turning round, she laughed again as she saw the other half of the 'office' was more like a big kid's playroom, complete with a mini basketball court, small gym area complete with punch bag, and an entertainment centre set up.

"This is…awesome!"

Picking Rachel carefully up, Quinn spun her round, peppering her face with kisses. Giggling at the ticklish sensation of some of them; the diva waited to be set down again then tried to assume a more serious expression.

"It's not just for show you know Froot Loop, follow me and I'll show you what I mean."

Willingly letting the brunette lead her towards the desk, Quinn rose both eyebrows as Rachel unlocked the drawers with a small set of keys and revealed the diaries that had previously been in her mother's loft.

"They're all here listed in order of date in case you need to refer to them…there's also something that _Santana _actually insisted on when she learnt just what it is you do."

Trying not to feel as cautious as she was at the prospect of just what it was her detective friend had felt was necessary, Quinn followed Rachel to what looked like a closet. Upon opening it however, her eyes widened as she took in what was essentially a C.S.I's workbench, on one end was a thick stack of textbooks.

"Um…she _does _know I have no idea what I'm doing with any of this stuff right? I mean technically I know how the machines work but…"

Trailing off, Quinn flailed her arms trying to convey her thoughts, Rachel found herself snagging the waving hands gently and bringing them back down to rest between the two women.

"Calm down baby, she knows you aren't able to use it, _yet_…however, as she rightly pointed out, if you're going to end up running around and picking up pieces of evidence that might help bring cold cases to a close then you had better damn well do it in a way that won't shoot the case to hell…her words not mine!"

Smirking at the fact she could almost picture the Latina stood in front of her growling the words out, Quinn nodded in agreement before looking at the textbooks.

"So, I take it I'm about to start studying again?"

Rachel nodded, then leaned forward with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'm afraid so, but on the bright side I can certainly offer you some incentives to get the best results, incentives your professors most definitively couldn't offer you!"

Unable to stop the grin creeping over her face at the thought of what those incentives might be, Quinn glanced at the textbooks again.

"I _have _always liked the rewards that come from some good hard…studying."

Smirking, Rachel wound her arms around Quinn's neck, pulling her down for a kiss she murmured huskily.

"Have I ever told you that you're nothing but a gigantic pervert sometimes Fabray?"

As a reply, the blonde grinned back unrepentantly, murmuring.

"You love it Berry!"

Those were the last words spoken for quite a while as the two concentrated on the kiss, with her jaw wired shut, Quinn was remembering the sensations she could illicit from the diva with her lips alone. For her part, Rachel found the soft and sensual kisses to be more knee-trembling than the hungry and deep approach. As such she found she had to fight to keep from pushing her fiancé to the floor and really going to town! Knowledge of why they had come up there in the first place prodded her libido back into place however, so with one last gentle nip of the pilot's lower lip, she pulled back and rested her forehead on Quinn's collarbone.

"As much as I would love to follow this little encounter through to what I'm sure we would both find is a pleasant and very fulfilling conclusion…we are sadly here on business."

Exhaling shakily, Quinn nodded and was glad her co pilot wasn't due for a day or so yet, meaning the only thing she had to consciously 'lower' was her rapidly beating heart rate.

"Yeah, yeah you have a point…besides there's plenty of time for that later!"

Wiggling her eyebrows, she smirked and agilely ducked the diva's hand swipe as she led the way to one of the two sofa's. Sitting down, she held Rachel's hand in hers tightly and called out for Gaby. Mere moments later her friend appeared, J.D. in tow and looking slightly worried at the prospect Rachel might not be comfortable with her, although the diva had yet to be able to see or touch the spectres, she found herself instinctively knowing when they had appeared. Smiling softly, she spoke before Quinn or either of the spirits could do so.

"J.D.? I know you're here even though I can't see you yet…and I just want to tell you that I can't wait to have you with us. I owe you _so _much already and maybe I can get to repay some of that now, as you join our family."

Rachel couldn't see yet, but Quinn and Gaby were both aware that the teen had moved up to stand by the diva, arms half raised before she remembered she wasn't 'alive' yet. Gaby spoke softly, conveying the information concerning the ritual to Quinn who then explained it to Rachel. As the redhead had said earlier it wasn't a complicated ritual at all and once she knew what was happening, the pilot turned to Rachel with a very slight flush.

"Okay, so…here's what we need to do, um, _we _hold hands and I use my other hand to hold Gaby's, she in turn will hold J.D.'s hand and then…um, well, then you and I kiss."

Clearing her throat and rubbing at the back of her neck awkwardly, the pilot tried to ignore Gaby's sniggering and J.D's roll of the eyes. Rachel fought the smile she wanted to let loose and forced herself to raise a cool eyebrow.

"And the prospect of kissing me is causing you distress?"

Flushing a darker shade of red, Quinn stumbled over her own words in her haste to explain.

"No, I mean yeah, but not…well, not like you're implying! What I meant was that, well ya know, kissing in front of my friend and our soon to be sort of adopted teenaged daughter is kind of embarrassing!"

Lips now quirking as the smile almost broke through, Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Honey, I hate to break it to you but when we get married you have to kiss me in front of _everyone_, plus no offence to J.D. but she is going to have to get used to the fact we kiss each other, frequently in fact! Shock horror news here Fabray but as I love you, I also love kissing you…so shut up, take my hand and kiss me!"

Glancing to the side where Gaby had hold of her other hand and was convulsed with silent laughter, Quinn raised a threatening eyebrow. The implied threat fell flat however when the redhead only laughed harder, turning in exasperation to J.D. she gave up when she saw the teen was also sniggering.

"Okay, geez, I get _no _sympathy around here!"

Sighing, she turned back to Rachel, and at the grin on the diva's face, finally chuckled herself.

"I know…I'm too shy for my own good, but I think I remember you saying something about a kiss?"

Smiling softly, the brunette hooked the forefinger of her free hand into the collar of Quinn's sweater and pulled her forward murmuring under her breath.

"So I did…"

Once more covering the pilot's lips with her own, Rachel kissed her softly, conveying as much love as she could with gentle languid strokes of her lips and tongue. Feeling herself melting slightly at the pure affection in the kisses, Quinn was dimly aware that her other hand, intertwined with Gaby's, was growing warmer and warmer. She was actually aware of little more than the embrace of her soul mate, somehow, this time, and with _this _kiss, she seemed aware of _Rachel's _emotions and thoughts as well as her own, it was…extreme, to say the very least. Not only were her own feelings sweeping over her in waves but so were the little diva's, and what she felt from her, the love and affection, literally took her breath away, leaving her light-headed. It was only when a throat cleared itself hesitantly that the two women pulled apart to be confronted by an exhausted looking Gaby and a shocked but pleasantly amazed J.D. Rachel's gasp alerted Quinn to the fact that she could indeed now see the teenager as well, which, the pilot belatedly realised was now reflecting the 18 year old body she would have had and not the thirteen year old one Quinn had first met. The answer to the question of whether or not Rachel would be able to touch the teen was answered when the little diva stood, and after meeting J.D.'s blue eyes, pulled her into a hug that rivalled the one Quinn had used. While the two embraced, Gaby squeezed Quinn's hand which was still in hers, looking up into the tired eyes of her friend, the pilot smiled softly.

"Thanks for this…I mean it Gabs, for me and Rachel, but most of all for J.D."

Winking back, the redhead took her hand from the pilot's.

"You're more than welcome Sherlock, but now I need to go get some downtime and you need to go and do some family bonding…and probably some clothes shopping as well."

Laughing softly, Quinn nodded and after watching her friend disappear, turned to see Rachel and J.D. both looking at her with their arms open wide. Grinning, she made her way over to enthusiastically embrace the nucleus of her soon to expand family. Over the next few days, the three of them settled into a very comfortable existence, J.D was given the spare room for herself and with the help of Quinn in a practical sense and Rachel in an organisational one, they redecorated it so it more suited the teen's taste. However much she wanted to help Rachel out however, Quinn managed to duck out of the clothes shopping expedition by arguing the case that she could get the dinner ready. J.D. let her off the hook saying she was more than capable of keeping an eye on the diva, apart from those potentially dramatic episodes, the three had just spent time getting used to each other. It was just as Rachel had said however and rather then needing to learn to be around each other, it was as if the teen was always meant to have been with them. The first test came when Shelby turned up three days after J.D.'s joining the family unit, as agreed earlier, the explanation for the girl's appearance would be that she was Quinn's cousin who had moved there after her parents emigrated. It was J.D. herself that answered the door that day, and did a double take when she saw the dark haired woman that stood there…looking so much like Rachel.

"Whoa, are you like Rachel's sister or something?"

The agent's mouth moved up and down for a few seconds without any words making themselves heard before Quinn inadvertently rescued her when she showed up behind her after picking up their new car.

"Who is it…_oh_, Shelby, it's you, I thought Rachel was going to meet you at the office tomorrow?"

Although she tried her hardest to be polite for her fiancés sake, Quinn found it hard to hide her dislike for the always immaculate agent and knew the feeling was mutual. Smiling coldly now that she was back on familiar ground, Shelby flicked her hair over her shoulders and sniffed haughtily.

"Yes, but I thought rather than make her come to meet me in that _awful _jeep it would be simpler if I just came here to tell her the details about her meeting. She really shouldn't be pulling herself in and out of that jeep in her condition you know?"

Grinding her teeth so hard it was actually audible, Quinn forced a smile that was just as false as Shelby's as she gestured behind her to the new Chevy Volt MPV5 sat in the driveway.

"I know, if not for the mugging it would have been done earlier but the hospital stay sort of put a crimp in my plans."

Ignoring the reference to the mugging (which was how Quinn's injuries were explained to those not in the know), Shelby instead looked at the car as if she were inspecting it.

"It's rather big isn't it? Going to use a lot of gas to keep a tank like that going, and you know how Rachel hates fossil fuels."

Forcing herself to maintain her serene smile, the blonde crossed her arms as she explained patiently.

"It's an electric car for the main part, _and _was voted car of the year actually, also, two of the car seats were ordered and fitted through them via the isofix system which is the safest system you can get. Rachel chose the car herself and _I _made sure the car seats were the best we could get, so I know for a fact she will like it just fine."

Smiling back just as falsely, Shelby entered the house and walked past the puzzled J.D. who was eyeing her warily.

"Well…it's good to see you're seeing sense these days."

Before Quinn could reply, Shelby walked off toward where she could hear Rachel's voice coming from. Growling under her breath, Quinn stalked in and after taking her boots off and hanging her coat up, answered J.D.'s silent question.

"Rachel's agent, she's like one of the top agents working today but…I hate her face so much I'd rather have wiped my boots on _it _than the mat."

Stifling a snort of laughter, the teen closed the door and led the way to the kitchen, muttering under her breath.

"Why does she hate you so much, did you like, kick her puppy or something?"

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, the pilot let some of her frustration with the situation leak into her words.

"I don't _know! _I mean, if I could pinpoint a reason she's such a bitch to me I could call her on it…but so far as I know I haven't done anything to offend her _or _piss her off. I can't tell Rachel how much I hate her because to be fair to Shelby she has moved heaven and hell to get Rachel and Kurt's careers started. Most of the time it doesn't get to me because we rarely have to see each other, but I _hate _the way she looks at me like she's constantly judging me!"

Shaking her head slightly, J.D. mused on the awkward and inexplicable relationship between the two women.

"Maybe she's just jealous or something, like, she see's Rachel as her protégé and thinks she could do better. Which is bullshit by the way, cos there's no one that could love Rach more than you do, and vice versa."

Gently cuffing the teen's ear for the cuss word, Quinn smiled warmly.

"Remember your language kiddo, or the babies' first words are going to end up being something out of an R rated movie! And maybe you're right, Shelby _has _been described as ruthlessly ambitious on her clients' behalf…but if that's the case I wish she'd back off and realise there is no way I would ever stand in the way of Rachel's career."

The two fell silent as they entered the kitchen where Shelby was moving around and making the tea as though she owned the place, feeling herself bristling at the presumptuousness of the woman, Quinn was gearing herself up to confront her when Rachel's hand pulled lightly on hers. Looking down, she saw the diva's slightly apologetic look which was confirmed when she mouthed the word sorry, immediately feeling the aggravation leaving her body, Quinn sat down next to Rachel and winked to show she was fine. Reaching down she picked up the diva's feet and began to rub them and the calves soothingly, seeing that the adults were otherwise occupied, J.D. took the opportunity to head back upstairs to her room and carry on catching up with five years of movies and T.V. Turning around, Shelby froze for a moment when she realised Quinn had joined them both, but smiling her patient smile she brought the tea to the table after making a third for the pilot.

"I hope you don't mind Shelby, but Quinn has said she will come with me so I'd love it if she was in on this meeting as it would save me from having to remember and repeat it…plus my legs and feet would definitely thank you!"

Smiling at the happy grin the diva was wearing, Shelby's expression softened and she spoke in a tone Quinn had never heard her use with Rachel before, it was almost…loving.

"Of course not Rachel, anything that helps you feel more comfortable."

As she refused to glance Quinn's way, she didn't see the speculative look on the pilot's face as she mulled over what exactly was prompting Shelby to talk so affectionately to her fiancé.

"Well, the meeting is all set up for next weekend, I'll book the tickets this week for you, they are _very _excited about working with you on this one, they've even started the preliminary drawings for the main character, just based on your headshots!"

While Shelby and Rachel chatted excitedly about the production the brunette would be involved in, Quinn just sat and watched, every so often she would smile or kiss Rachel's hand when the diva spoke to her…but _mostly, _she watched Shelby. Although she had always had a somewhat combative relationship with the older woman it really hadn't occurred to her how odd that was when she had done nothing to invite the agent's ire. J.D.'s throwaway comment about the agent possibly feeling jealous had sparked something in the back of her mind, something she wasn't altogether comfortable with. She was so engrossed with her silent scrutiny that she started slightly when she realised Shelby was standing to leave, before she could offer to show her to the door, the agent held up a halting hand.

"I'll see myself out Quinn, you stay here with Rachel, she looks like she needs a rest."

Sensing the hidden dig that she wasn't doing enough for the little diva, Quinn yet again bit her tongue and just smiled, she was glad when the agent finally left as her face had started to hurt from all the forced smiling. Turning back to Rachel, she saw the slightly worried look in the chocolate eyes and immediately relaxed, leaning forward to brush a kiss across the diva's questioning lips.

"Sorry, lost in thought babe, _now_…what do you say to an early night snuggled up in bed together watching one of your sickeningly romantic films and eating onion rings and Cheetos?"

Laughing slightly, Rachel pursed her lips in thought and countered.

"Hmm, well given the fact those are _your _snack favourites and _you _can't actually eat them how about instead we go for white chocolate malted milkshakes and Bugles, obviously those will just be for me but we can both have the milkshake."

Sighing dramatically, Quinn slapped a hand to her chest and let her head droop.

"As I acknowledge that solid food is a slight issue for me right now, I guess the shake would be a good move…I take it this means I'm about to go out and hit the Sugar Shack huh?"

At the mention of her favourite malt shop, which coincidentally sold the biggest of her latest cravings, Rachel's eyes lit up. Laughing, the pilot stole another kiss before sliding from the diva's grip and to her feet.

"Okay, you go fire up the DVD player and get comfortable, I'll go and get the shakes, and before you ask, yes, I'll make sure I get them to add that extra shot of vanilla syrup for you!"

Calling her thanks to the blonde's already retreating back, Rachel grinned happily and scurried upstairs to create the perfect snuggle zone. As she passed J.D.'s room she saw the teenager sliding into the leather jacket she'd chosen with the Captain America shield emblazoned on the back. Before Rachel could ask, Jodie grinned as she explained.

"Hey, no offence but as much as I love seeing how much you two guys love and dote on each other, I'd rather not be here constantly cramping your style…plus I need to go take my films back and choose some more."

Rolling her eyes affectionately, Rachel reached out and ruffled the teenager's spiked hair, the haircut was one of the first things Jodie had asked for, even before new clothes she wanted her hair cut short so she could spike it. Rachel had immediately taken her to see her stylist Bennett, he had been more than glad to gain another client, especially one who wanted a style so different to Rachel's, it made him feel more creative apparently! Mock scowling in a fashion that was very reminiscent of Quinn, J.D. straightened her spikes then picked up the stack of DVD cases on the side.

"You know, if you keep visiting that place you'll be caught up in no time, in fact…if I didn't know better, I'd say there was _another _reason you keep going there!"

Flushing slightly, Jodie raised a warning eyebrow as she made her way out of her room and down the stairs.

"I'm _not _going to dignify that with an answer Rachel!"

Laughing slightly, Rachel leant over the banister and sing-songed her answer.

"J.D.'s got a crush…"

Growling slightly, Jodie looked up, and with a discreet wink to show she wasn't actually angry, she headed out. Chuckling to herself, Rachel scurried back to the bedroom and set about creating her snuggle zone. Half an hour later and Quinn was back, toeing off her boots, she threw her coat in the vague direction of the coat hooks before heading upstairs with the treats. As she reached the bedroom, her face broke into a smile as she caught Rachel in an unguarded moment, snuggled in what looked like a nest of blankets and pillows, the diva had her eyes closed as she sang along to something on her iPod. Leaning on the doorframe, Quinn just took a moment to thank God and her good luck that she had been lucky enough to somehow attract, and even _more _miraculously, keep this woman. She was abruptly busted when Rachel's eyes popped open and she smiled shyly.

"How long have you been standing there, Miss Fabray?"

Shrugging casually, Quinn moved into the room before replying, carefully setting down the tray of shakes and bag of bugles that Rachel was craving, on the nightstand.

"Long enough to remind me what I miss when I'm apart from you, now hush and let's get comfy…what film are you making me suffer through tonight?"

Waiting for Quinn to change into her sleep shorts and T-shirt, Rachel lifted the duvet invitingly, sliding in next to her with a contented sigh, the pilot kissed the tip of the diva's nose.

"Actually, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by my choice of movie, it's not my usual selection, but I suddenly realised that I wasn't really in the mood for a romance. I figured that as I have my big tough athlete with me, I'd take the opportunity to choose something from the horror genre that I've wanted to watch for ages!"

Raising an eyebrow in question, Quinn found it answered equally as silently when Rachel hit the play button and the menu for Silent Hill popped up on the screen. Laughing happily, the pilot pulled Rachel closer and they settled down to watch the movie. Predictably, the diva spent most of it with her head buried against Quinn's shoulder, squealing for her to say when it was safe to look again, not that either of them really minded. The next morning brought a familiar and annoying pain for Quinn, growling irritably, the pilot reached down, and sure enough her co pilot was there, there and _very _alert. Sighing, she let her hand drop before kicking the covers off intending to go to the bathroom and take care of herself while Rachel slept on peacefully. Those plans were abruptly halted when Rachel (who _wasn't _in fact asleep and hadn't been for a long time) took hold of Quinn's hand to stop her, frowning in confusion, the blonde stifled a yawn before asking sleepily.

"Babe?"

Biting on her lower lip seductively, Rachel jerked gently on their joined hands, pulling Quinn back into the bed fully.

"Don't go…let _me _see to that for you."

Swallowing slightly, the pilot felt Rachel already reaching down to take hold of what was rapidly becoming an extremely happy part of her anatomy.

"I'm not sure…I mean, I don't know how much I'm going to be able to do in return Rae, you don't have to…"

Shushing the nervous pilot, Rachel leant down to press a firm kiss to Quinn's slightly pouting lower lip, nipping the point of her lover's chin as she sat up. Rachel straddled Quinn's waist before speaking in a rough passion-filled voice.

"Trust me when I say I really don't mind, this is for both of us, and you…well, you've never let me do this before, be with you the day of the change, not so soon anyway."

Relaxing, Quinn pushed any worries or concerns she had about being selfish to the back of her mind, it wasn't actually that hard to do considering Rachel's hand was beginning to work wonders with her cock.

"Well…if you're s…sure."

Although her words were slightly hesitant her body was most certainly not, her hips moving in tandem with the stroking motion of the diva's hand. Quinn always suspected that this particular part of her anatomy didn't take very long for her to take care of after it's first appearance because it was overly sensitive…she now no longer suspected but knew for certain, it was less than five minutes into foreplay and she already felt close. Swallowing, she reached down to still Rachel's hand; at the confused, slightly hurt look in brown eyes, she rushed to explain.

"Just…one of the reasons I've always been reluctant is this thing is kinda sensitive, well, _overly _sensitive if I'm honest and I'm not sure how much…"

Knocking the pilot's hand aside gently, Rachel spoke even as she used the copious amount of pre cum to hasten the movement of her hand.

"I don't care Quinn, because ten seconds later you're good to go again and trust me…I'm going _nowhere _in a hurry!"

As the last word left her lips, she smirked triumphantly and watched Quinn arch upwards as her first orgasm hit, seconds later and still panting breathlessly, the pilot groaned as Rachel's prediction proved true and her traitorous cock sprang back to life. Chuckling, the diva let go long enough to position and lower herself onto Quinn's member.

"Now, let's see which one of us passes out first huh?"

Quinn's good hand palmed one of the diva's breasts eagerly, the fingers of her casted hand wrapping round the material of the sheet to gain leverage as she began to move in tandem with Rachel's thrust's. This was one competition she was more than willing to take part in…even if it did kill her!


	12. (sort-of) Author's Note

Hi everyone!

Sorry to disappoint but this isn't our beloved GR although it's a message on her behalf. I'm her beta actually and no worries she's still alive, just that real life has been a real arse to her lately.

She wanted me to let you all know that she's still writing (I promise she is!) and that she'll update all her stories by the end of the month latest :)

She really does feel bad about the wait and rest assured she's not the type of author to leave all of you hanging. Hope you all understand and will continue to stick around!

Cheers,

tiggerbounced


	13. Chapter 13

_Sorry this has taken so long, all I can say is that I'm truly sorry, Thin Ice is two thirds updated and I'm about to start RBR. In the meantime I hope you like this somewhat lighter chapter of GLF fluff…and I apologize once more for letting RL get on top of me _

At first, J.D. wasn't even sure the hunched figure leaning over the kitchen table was Quinn. Frowning, the teen reached out with a forefinger and prodded at the blanket-covered lump cautiously, the only reply was a muffled growl; nodding to herself with a smirk, J.D. returned to putting away the groceries she'd returned with. The half-hearted growl combined with the very brief glimpse she managed to catch of the dinosaur themed socks on the feet of the lump confirmed its identity as that of Quinn. Before the teen could think to question why the still healing pilot was hunched in a protective ball and refusing all forms of human contact, Rachel swept in looking…well, the only word that J.D. could come up with was radiant. Smiling happily and with a very definite spring in her step that belied the rapidly growing baby bump, Rachel flashed the teen a grin and plucked the carton of grapes from her hand.

"Ooh, perfect! I was just in the mood for some fruit, and where have you been for most of the night young lady?"

Raising one eyebrow in an impressive arch, Rachel tried not to be too endeared by the way the teen scratched at her nose awkwardly before replying.

"Ah, um…well you know, just out and about getting to know the area and the people and…stuff."

Trailing off, J.D. took the opportunity to duck almost inside the refrigerator under the guise of rearranging the salad crisper to make room for the fresh stuff. Sadly, Rachel was not foolish enough to fall for the tactic.

"I know that technically you're old enough to do what you want when you want but…you know how much Quinn frets about you, plus if you're falling into bad company…"

Rolling her eyes and withdrawing reluctantly from the safety of the fridge, J.D. mumbled a reply.

"No bad company I promise, just literally exploring the area, the guys at the video store were nice enough to show me around after their shift."

Shrugging as though it was no big deal, the teen reached for the carton of milk only to be stopped by a voice. This time however it wasn't Rachel but the previously quiet Quinn, the mention of 'guys' and 'going out' had finally stirred her from her cocoon.

"Whoa, hold up there kiddo, what exactly do you mean by guys? And going out where, I mean how many of them were there and where did you go, you do know you aren't old enough to drink right?!"

Heaving a huge aggrieved sigh that only a teenager can ever truly manage, J.D. shut the door to the fridge and turned to try and calm down her suddenly alert guardian…and promptly burst out laughing.

Having forced herself to finally rouse upon hearing that J.D. was out with some nameless 'guys' Quinn had to confess that the last reaction she was expecting to have to deal with was laughter, frowning with a mix of confusion and frustration, the pilot turned to her fiancée.

"Okay, what's so funny about asking if she was out drinking? Rach…why are you looking so annoyingly innocent?"

A dawning realization was occurring to her, given what she and the diminutive brunette starlet had been up to for the last three days (with appropriate stops to refuel of course) she could only really draw one conclusion. Reaching up she tried not to grimace at the reminder that she desperately needed another shower and tried to tame her hair, even without the aid of a mirror she could tell through touch that trying to tame it by hand was a futile effort. Shooting a glare towards the unrepentant actress, she tried her best to try and look as though she was in fact the responsible adult in this conversation.

Sighing slightly, Rachel shrugged a shoulder and spoke lowly over the rim of her teacup.

"I _told_ you that you needed a shower, but no, _you_ insisted you had to refuel before you could even think about it!"

Trying her best not to pout, and failing spectacularly, the blonde stifled a yawn before grumbling a reply.

"Yeah and whose fault is that! Jesus Rachel you were like a woman possessed, it's unnatural that you were that energetic and then still look as good as you do!"

Forgetting for the moment that J.D. was even in the room, the brunette shrugged airily and couldn't help but remark idly.

"I guess I just have more stamina than you do Miss Track Star."

Opening her mouth to defend her potent virality in what was to undoubtedly be a very vociferous manner, J.D. leapt into the conversation eager to halt her de facto stepmothers'.

"While this is actually kind of amusing, it's also very disturbing to hear my guardians arguing about who is more energetic in the bedroom! So if you'll excuse me I'm going to head up to my room and take a look at some of those open college course brochures."

Before either woman could reply the teen bolted, Rachel was too happy that J.D. was considering a college course to remember that they were supposed to be questioning her about who she was seeing. Quinn was caught between sulking at the slight on her sexual abilities and faint admiration at the way J.D. had managed to duck the conversation so skillfully. Letting the blanket drop from her shoulders, the pilot stretched her shoulders until they popped and looked forward to the day the wire was to come off her jaw so she could enjoy a good yawn again, now there was something she hadn't thought she'd miss…yawning. Filled with an overwhelming sense of love for the sleepy disheveled pilot, Rachel made her way over to the chair and set herself down in Quinn's lap.

"That kid is far too sneaky for her own good, definitely takes after you."

At the proud glint in Quinn's eyes, Rachel inclined her head far enough to steal a chaste kiss.

"And I was only teasing as you well know, you were amazing as always, I guess it's just that I'm so used to having to find extra reserves of energy because of our babies."

Grinning slightly, the pilot let her head rest on her fiancée's shoulder sleepily.

"Yeah well, I wasn't joking about the whole wild woman thing…at one point I thought you were seriously trying to kill me with sex, not that I was complaining but still…"

Rolling her dark eyes, the actress leaned down and stole one more kiss before standing again.

"I wasn't joking however about the fact that you need a shower if not a bath, I love you darling but you smell awful."

Puffing her chest up with an exaggerated show of pride, Quinn shrugged the last of the blanket off her shoulders and stood.

"Hey I may smell of sex sweat but I earned that smell, if I want to revel in it, I believe I earned the right to do so!"

Crossing her arms decisively, she caught a very definite whiff of the distinctly stale 'sex sweat' smell and pulled a face before adding.

"Okay…I'm done with enjoying it, I definitely need a shower!"

Laughing softly at the image of her beloved stood there with hair that defied gravity, SpongeBob boxer shorts and a backwards T-shirt, Rachel couldn't resist one more kiss…despite the smell.

"So go wash up, I'll make you some liquidized ham and eggs."

Smiling happily, Quinn was halfway to the door before she held a hand up in exclamation and turned on her heel making her way back towards her puzzled fiancée. Ignoring Rachel's bemused look, she knelt down in front of her and placed three kisses on the bump, telling them she would be back shortly before placing a last kiss on Rachel's forehead and heading eagerly up to the bathroom. Shaking her head in adoration at the blonde's antics, the diva ran a gentle hand over the baby bump.

"Your poppa is one crazy chick kiddies, and we love her all the more for it don't we?"

She grinned to herself as all three of the growing children inside of her seemed to move gently in agreement. Upstairs, Quinn was quick to shower and dress herself for if all went well, the Doc was going to let her have her jaw back this afternoon. She suspected that was the only reason Rachel had let her get out of bed as she still had two days left with her little buddy. Glancing down at it, she couldn't help but smirk slightly as she thought back over the past three days…if she got her damn jaw unwired this afternoon then she had some payback to deliver! After a belated breakfast and more than one cup of tea to calm her nerves, Rachel drove them the short distance to the small local surgery; Quinn was happy that the little diva commented on more than one occasion how much she loved the new car and made a mental note to buy a couple six packs for San to thank her again for her help. By the time the Doctor called them in, the pilot was almost humming with nervous excited energy and after taking one look at her, the Doctor chuckled lightly before pointing to the seat opposite her.

"I take it we have had more than enough of the wiring then?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn eagerly nodded in agreement.

"Oh hell yeah, this damn thing stops me from yawning, from eating, from laughing, I can't even get a proper kiss!"

Rachel flushed at the blonde's little overshare, the Doctor however had obviously heard complaints like this before and it was water off a duck's back. Flipping through the notes the hospital had sent over and the copies of the latest x-ray, Dr. Nevins nodded to herself.

"Okay, we can definitely take the wiring off today but you still need to take it easy, no chowing down on steaks or taffy! You can have solid foods but nothing too chewy, at least for a month or so, think you can stick to those rules Quinn, if not you'll end up back in here and wired before you can blink."

Trying not to growl at the idea of being free whilst simultaneously being bound by another set of rules, the pilot blew out a breath and nodded. Nodding happily, the Dr. got out the tools she would need and directed Quinn to lie down on the examination bed.

After what seemed like an eternity later to Rachel, who could only catch the odd glimpse of the Dr. at work, Quinn let out an almost sexual groan, stepping back from her patient, Dr. Nevins let Quinn sit up and the pilot smirked her familiar lopsided grin at the little diva and punched the air in celebration.

"I got my mouth back!"

Laughing at her fiancée's adorable celebratory dance, Rachel reached out a hand and helped her off the bed.

"You're incorrigible, you know that don't you Fabray?"

Smiling widely, the blonde poked her tongue out, mostly just because she could, and commented lowly.

"And you love it Berry!"

Rolling her eyes at the two of them, the Doc cleared her throat and seeming to know instantly what was on Quinn' and Rachel's mind, handed the blonde a small baggie with travel size samples of toothpaste, mouthwash and toothbrush. Grinning eagerly, Quinn accepted it and headed to the sink in the corner, at the brunette's raised eyebrow, Dr. Nevins shrugged.

"I've removed enough wired jaw sets to realize it's the first thing all of them want so I make sure I have a new set on hand!"

Sharing the light laughter, Rachel opened her mouth to ask about the dietary dos and don'ts, only to find a small booklet presented to her, smiling the Dr. added.

"And the first thing their partners always want is the list of rules so they don't end up bringing them back in to be re-wired!"

Saluting the Dr. with the booklet and a smile, Rachel tucked it away just in time to see a minty fresh Quinn walk back over with as wide a grin as she'd ever seen.

"Thanks Doc, you're a god send and definitely on my Christmas card list!"

Waving away the thanks, Dr. Nevins organized a follow up appointment to double check the jaw in a couple of weeks and take another look at the healing wrist. If it was possible Quinn was actually skipping as they made their way back out to the car. Chuckling, Rachel found herself gasping in surprise as the blonde swept her up exuberantly and half danced her the rest of the way back to the car. Collapsing against the door breathless with giggles, the two of them stole a quick chaste kiss…that quickly turned into something more intimate but no less sweet. When the blonde finally pulled away, Rachel bit her lower lip lightly and tucked a trace of the growing hair behind Quinn's ear, speaking softly.

"And what was that for Miss Fabray?"

Shrugging almost shyly, the pilot let her forehead rest against her lover's and let out a slow happy breath.

"Well, as weird as it sounds, kissing properly is the thing I missed most, not because I'm a perv or anything, although I admit I kinda am, but because…ya know it's like a silent 'I love you' or does that sound way too corny to have come out of my mouth…please say something and stop me talking because I get the feeling I'm babbling now and making things worse and I can't seem to stop so…"

Reaching up, Rachel halted the sudden and charming torrent of words with a soft kiss.

"It's not corny and although we still have kissed I know what you mean…so relax okay? I thought I was the nervous babbler in the relationship, what do I have left if you take on that role huh?"

Grinning mischievously, the pilot pretended to think.

"Well, there's always the over attentiveness to every single little detail..."

Mock scowling, the brunette allowed Quinn to open her door for her and slid into the driver's seat, however instead of closing the door, the blonde continued to muse silently on Rachel's personality quirks.

"And the coaster issue, I mean it's just condensation Rach! Also you get sort of high strung about the washing machine eating socks, not to mention…"

A very loud throat clearing itself caused the pilot to stop mid-sentence, focusing on the partly amused but partly exasperated look on her love's face, she trailed into expectant silence.

"Quinn, sweetheart…can I just say that pissing off a pregnant woman is never a very wise prospect at the best of times, and pissing off a pregnant woman who has the ability to leave you stranded several miles from home is an even stupider one."

Drumming her fingertips on the car's doorframe for all of ten seconds, the pilot then smiled widely and carried on as though as she'd never been interrupted.

"There's also your immense capacity for understanding and forgiveness, your ability to look hot at all times even if you have been hurling all night, and the fact that I love you?"

Unable to stop the chuckle even if she had wanted to, Rachel just shook her head.

"Get in the car you amazing, adorable dork!"

Jogging round to the passenger side, the blonde slid inside and clicked her safety belt in with a sense of purpose.

"Home James! Hopefully to some real food and cuddling up by the fire?"

Rachel would have agreed even if Quinn hadn't been batting her eyelashes in a hopeful way.

"Fine, although we do need to finish that conversation with J.D. with regards to who exactly she's hanging around with."

Nodding slightly, the pilot settled back into her seat and rubbed her jaw thoughtfully.

"Well, I trust that she isn't doing anything dumb, I mean let's face it, given what happened to her she's probably more switched on than most young women her age. However, as much as I trust her, I can't stop worrying that someone's going to try and take advantage of her gentle nature somehow…is that paranoid?"

Smiling lovingly, Rachel removed her hand from the steering wheel long enough to reach over and squeeze the pilot's hand.

"No love, that's called being a parent and I'm sad to say we are in for a lifetime of it."

Looking even more thoughtful for a long minute, Quinn then blew out an amused breath and glanced at the curious brunette.

"Just…remind me to tell my mom how much I love her the next time I see her okay?"

Laughing softly, Rachel nodded her agreement, simultaneously making a note to ring her fathers and say the same thing! J.D. was sat at the kitchen table when they returned and looked up from the latest issue of the local paper, on seeing Quinn's un-wired and happily smirking face she laughed.

"Oh god the mighty mouth has been unleashed…how could you let it happen Rachel!"

Sighing dramatically and ignoring the look of practiced consternation on her fiancée's face, the little diva shrugged helplessly.

"I tried kiddo, even offered to pay for the Doc to leave it on there but it was all to no avail."

Grinning widely, J.D. ducked the playful swipe Quinn aimed at her head, she wasn't so lucky however when it came to the noogie the pilot followed it up with. Squealing in a most undignified way, especially for an adult, J.D. appealed to Rachel mutely for help. Smirking happily, the blonde let the teen go with a last light slap on the back of her head before commenting.

"Sorry kiddo, can't be attacking the beautiful mother of my child can I, so that means you get to pay for her sins…plus you started it Miss Wiseass!"

Poking her tongue out playfully, the teen used her fingertips to rapidly fix her hairdo before glancing over to the two women. Rachel was leaning against the work surface, one hand cradling her bump and the other tangled with Quinn's as the blonde absentmindedly made tea with her free one. Clearing her throat softly to get the attention of both women, J.D. tried to assume a serious expression…with much the same result that Quinn had when she tried, she just looked mildly confused. Rachel bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing out loud at the expression and nudged Quinn to let her know the teen wanted to tell them something.

"Okay you two…I know I bailed on the conversation earlier today but that's because I wasn't sure what to say. I'm not hanging out with anyone dodgy I swear, no gang stuff, hell we don't even smoke!"

Quinn spluttered into her tea at the mere thought that J.D. would start smoking; Rachel rubbed the blonde's back lightly and kept her amusement internal. Rolling her eyes, the teen ran a hand through her hair and started again.

"It's just having a life back is taking some getting used to, Kim down at the video place is real cool, kind of a geek but I'm used to being around geeks."

At that she looked over to the pilot who far from looking embarrassed, grinned proudly and motioned with her mug of tea for the teen to carry on.

"Anyway…she offered to show me around the town, introduce me to a few places that might interest me and help me look for a job."

At that announcement, both Rachel and Quinn started to talk hurriedly.

"Kiddo you said you were going to get your GED first!"

"You said you were looking at colleges, a job won't leave time for college!"

Taking a moment to bask in the love and concern she could feel from both her new parents, J.D. smiled softly and held up both hands until they fell silent.

"Whoa, calm down and let me get a word in edgeways! I will be getting my GED and I AM looking at college brochures. However the fact is I wanted to feel like I'm also contributing something to the family, you guys are giving me so much and it's important to me that I feel part of this. I know that you're going to say I don't need to and I guess I know that deep down but a part time job can't hurt can it?"

Sipping her tea silently for a moment with a thoughtful frown, Quinn glanced to Rachel who gave an infinitesimal nod.

"Kiddo…you're right we don't feel like you owe us anything, you're here as part of our family because we love you and because Rachel needs you, but I also know that having a job is really important to you."

Before she could go on, J.D. nodded eagerly and leaning forward, did her best to cement her argument.

"Exactly, and if I'm happier I can be of more help because I'm more aware! Plus it's only like two evenings a week and one weekend afternoon…and I get free pizza"

Nodding absently, Quinn carried on.

"And it sounds reasonable enough, two evenings are okay as long as they aren't late but if you're studying then working a weekend might…wait, did you say free pizza?"

Grinning widely and glad the pilot had finally caught that little tidbit of information, the teen replied happily.

"Yep! Every shift I get to bring home an order for myself afterwards."

Smiling happily, the blonde was on the verge of agreeing that a job might not be so bad after all when she felt a light squeeze of her fingers and glanced over at Rachel. Chewing her lip for a moment and trying not to think just of the free pizza, Quinn tipped her mug towards the diva.

"Well I'm not gonna lie, you know my stomach would probably speak for me right now! And I DO understand why you want a job, most teens do, but Rachel is your ward and she's also the other parent so..."

They both looked towards the brunette who smiled at them indulgently before replying.

"Having a job is fine, I know you can be by my side at a moment's notice if I need you and I know how important it is that you live this life as normally as possible. My concerns are the normal parental ones, for instance how late are these evening shifts and how will you get to and from the shop?"

Rubbing her nose, J.D. shrugged.

"I would work till half past ten, not the closing shift, just covering the busy time, and I figured that I could take the bus, it drops off and picks up pretty much right outside."

Rachel glanced back towards Quinn in their ongoing silent parental debate, the blonde moved away from her girl's side for a moment, rummaging in one of the kitchen drawers before throwing something towards the teen who caught it on impulse. Looking down, she saw she was holding the key to the jeep and looked up with confusion, smiling softly, Rachel replied for both of them while the blonde sipped her tea with a smirk.

"You can take the job if you want Jodie, but you are not relying on public transport young lady! I no longer need the jeep and Quinn isn't working right now so it's yours…after you get your learners' permit of course."

There was a moment's silence then the spiky haired teen leapt up with a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat's. Almost leaping across the few feet separating her from her guardians, J.D. swept them both into a hug, being mindful of the bump of course.

"I…you guys really are the best and this is awesome! I promise I'll get my learners' permit and won't hog the jeep for too long, I was thinking of getting a bike but…"

Rachel instantly felt herself panicking at the thought of Jodie also riding a motorcycle, it was bad enough with just Quinn risking her life on a daily basis. However it wasn't her that got to voice her disapproval of such a plan…because _Quinn _of all people, beat her to it!

"No way in hell or earth are you getting a motorbike young lady! If you don't know what you're doing then those things are deadly, mobile organ donation machines!"

Two sets of eyes were suddenly fixed on hers in surprise, J.D.'s blue ones were mildly amused whereas Rachel's deep brown ones were far from it. Smirking internally, the teen took the opportunity to make her exit and bolt upstairs for the safety of her bedroom. In the awkward silence that followed, Quinn found the bottom of her mug of tea of immense interest as she murmured.

"I said if you _don't _know what you're doing…I _do_ know what I'm doing, I had the chance to learn from my dad on the safety of the airfield."

At the continuation of the silence, the pilot looked up and sighed.

"Okay so I'm a hypocrite and now I know how _you_ feel every time I get on the Ducati…I'm sorry Rae."

Melting into a smile, the diva pulled Quinn close and kissed her temple.

"I know you love riding the bike and I'd never tell you that you couldn't or shouldn't do so, but thank you…for finally realizing that I don't say I'm worried to nag you."

Grinning crookedly, the pilot inclined her head downwards slightly and caught the brunette's lips in a soft but intense kiss.

"No problem gorgeous, now…how about we do some of that snuggling up we were planning on and think about what to pack for your long weekend business trip to Disneyworld!"

Laughing at the sheer exuberance on her fiancée's face at the thought of a weekend of justifiably acting like an overgrown kid, Rachel shook her head and pulled her towards the study where the Disney maps were. The rest of the week went by fairly peacefully, Gaby was absent so the spirit world was, for now, giving Quinn some much needed time off. As the time for the trip to Disney got closer however, Quinn would have loved to have her old friend around as her feelings of unease around Shelby were growing. In the absence of the red headed ghost the pilot turned to Santana, she was always hesitant about asking the hot headed Latina for relationship advice but jealousy was something that Santana Lopez knew only too well. Sighing heavily and with her and Rachel due to fly out with Shelby tomorrow morning, Quinn trudged her way up to the front door of her friend's house and knocked on the door. Inside she could hear Brittany calling for Santana to wait until she grabbed Lord Tubbington because he was on a diet and not allowed to go out or he'd beat the other neighborhood cats up for their lunch. Smiling happily at the conversation, Quinn just shook her head and waited, eventually it was answered by a disheveled Santana, sporting a long scratch on one cheek. Opening her mouth to comment, the pilot was abruptly halted by the flushed Latina's pointing finger.

"One word and I put you in a sack with the hell cat!"

Laughing, Quinn held up her hands in surrender and with a half-smile, the Latina gestured her inside. Brittany smiled over at her from the sofa where a very large, very grumpy Lord Tubbington was glaring at all of them from the dancer's lap.

"Hey Quinn it's good to see you, we were going to come over this weekend till we heard about your trip to Disney, say hello to Donald Duck for me won't you!"

"Good to see you too Brits and it's fine, I'm guessing that Santana hasn't let you out of her sight since you returned!"

She dodged the Latina's sideways kick with a smirk as Brittany replied in her usual open and honest, and slightly disturbing, way.

"Well, there were moments when she was tied up when I was out of her sight because I was fetching the…"

Interrupting hastily, Santana thrust a soda bottle into the appalled pilot's hand.

"So, you mentioned in your text that you wanted to talk?"

Taking a moment to drag her mind from the gutter, the pilot flushed a bright red and managed a nod, rolling her eyes Santana linked her arms through Quinn's and led her through to the back yard. Once the door was closed behind them with Brittany and her overshares safely on the other side of it, Quinn cleared her throat.

"Yeah…so, I'm gonna pretend that conversation didn't happen okay?"

Tipping back her beer bottle, the Latina smirked as she toyed with the idea of tormenting her notoriously shy friend just a little bit more…but in the end she nodded an agreement.

"Works for me, so come on Q…spill, what's got you frowning so bad?"

Sighing in frustration, the pilot scratched at her nose and began to pace as she thought out how to say what was bothering her without sounding paranoid.

"It could be nothing, I mean I might just be seeing things where there no…um, things. But she's just so damn condescending all the time!"

Mildly shocked by the angry outburst from her usually placid friend, Santana swallowed her mouthful and spoke slowly.

"Okay, I know that I can usually interpret your own particular brand of craziness, even I have to say I have no idea what you're talking about! Take a deep breath, stop pacing and start again!"

Frowning irritably, Quinn thumped down onto the porch swing that the Latina indicated with her chin, after a moment Santana joined her. Scratching her nose again, the blonde took a long swallow of the root beer and tried again.

"You've known me a long time right S? I mean not as long as Rach but it still qualifies as a long friendship?"

Waiting for the Latina's nod of confirmation, Quinn carried on.

"And in all that time have you ever known me to be jealous, of anyone, ya know, when it comes to Rachel?"

Having expected agreement or maybe a question or two about the statement, Quinn was completely surprised when instead Santana snorted into her beer bottle with amusement.

"Okaaayy, not quite the reaction I was expecting when I'm trying to bare my soul here San!"

Forcing herself to calm down, the Latina threw a companionable arm around her friend's shoulders, pulling her in for a brief half hug, half wrestle.

"I'm sorry Q…but to be honest you didn't even notice people flirting with you most of the time, let alone flirting with Rachel. So no, jealousy is the last emotion I would associate with you…why the question?"

Frowning heavily again, Quinn let her head drop to rest on the back of the porch swing and let out a long sigh.

"Well…the thing is I think there's something going on with Shelby, you know, Rachel's agent?"

Santana choked on her mouthful of beer for a moment, prompting the pilot to sit up again and pound her lightly on the back until her airways cleared, once she could talk again the Latina wiped her eyes as she blurted.

"No way would Rachel cheat on you Quinn, I can't believe you'd even think she would!"

Hazel eyes widening in shock, Quinn held her hands out calmingly.

"God, no I don't think that, I never…that didn't even cross my mind!"

Glaring through bloodshot eyes, the Latina wiped her mouth on her sleeve and murmured.

"Then why the hell would you bring up Shelby like that?"

Sighing with renewed frustration, Quinn raked her hands through her hair and slumped back into the seat.

"I'm not worried about Rachel but I think…actually screw that I KNOW that Shelby has some ulterior motive when it comes to Rachel. She's always making snide comments about how she thinks I'm not doing enough for Rachel, or that I don't take her pregnancy seriously, it's like she…is trying to get Rachel to see my faults but magnifying them at the same time!"

Although the temptation to tease her blonde friend about her so-called 'faults' was strong, Santana could tell this was really bothering her so she sighed internally before asking.

"Okay, rewind the tape a little bit and tell me exactly what she's been doing to get under your skin like this."

Blowing out a breath, Quinn started to recount all the separate little incidents, which when viewed alone could perhaps be passed off as friendly concern.

"Well, firstly she was criticizing me about the pregnancy in the first place and wondering why we weren't waiting seeing as how Rach's career is just taking off, I mean it's not like we can tell her the truth but even so…she made it sound like it was all my fault."

Pausing to take another swallow of the root beer, she continued.

"She makes sure to let Rachel know that she always has special vitamin water and snack foods on hand that are especially for pregnant women, and then wonders why I haven't been buying them! When the fact is I have, I just don't make a big deal out of it!"

Santana watched in surprise as her usually placid friend picked at the label on her soda bottle angrily as she spoke.

"When we brought that car she could only say that she hoped that it was eco-friendly because Rachel wouldn't like it otherwise! As if I wouldn't have taken that into account when choosing the damn thing, as if I don't know my own fiancée's preferences."

When she paused for breath, Santana spoke hesitantly, not wanting to upset her friend all over again.

"Maybe she just really cares about Rachel and wants to make sure she's taken care of?"

Shooting a sharp angry glare at her friend, Quinn growled.

"Which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact she takes over when she's around us, she makes the tea, she makes sure Rachel is comfortable and she's always looking at me like she thinks I'm not good enough for her…like Rachel could do better, why would she do that if she was just concerned huh? Surely she'd be trying to get close to both of us?"

Pursing her lips in thought, the Latina leant back in her seat and tried her best not to look like she'd realized what she just had. She had known that Quinn wasn't the most confident of people when it came to what she could offer the brunette diva, hell that was the reason she'd been refusing to get involved with her in the first place.

Remembering the months of sexual frustration that had been built up between her two friends, the Latina sighed internally, Quinn was a wonderful person, she had no reason to fear Rachel would look elsewhere, but she realized that wasn't what was worrying the pilot. What was worrying her was that Shelby might be right, that Rachel could do better than her, when in fact she couldn't be further from the truth.

"Q, Rachel is happy with you, a billionaire with the body of a goddess could come along and Rach wouldn't offer more than a polite smile and a cup of tea! She loves you, you big idiot, and no matter what Shelby thinks about you, it's Rachel that counts and she knows you are more than good enough."

Smiling reluctantly, Quinn thumped her friend's shoulder companionably before muttering.

"Well, I mean I know that…I guess, but how do I get that through to Shelby so she backs off! It's like she's trying to push me into a confrontation with her because she knows I have a temper, and if I lose it at her then it will give her ammunition to prove that I'm unsuitable."

Frowning in thought, Santana absently plucked the now empty soda bottle from Quinn's hands and shot it with unerring accuracy into the recycling tub.

"Okay, well it sounds to me like she has some kind of jealousy thing going on, I mean even if she does like Rachel in that way it's never going to happen and it's time she realized that…what would you normally do if someone was making a play for Rachel?"

Quinn answered immediately.

"Kick them in the nuts, or if it was a chick I guess I'd punch them…I mean that would be my first instinct but I wouldn't really do that. I guess I'd take them to one side and explain how things really were, and then if they didn't listen, that's when I'd punch them."

Clapping her friend on the shoulder with a wide grin, Santana laughed.

"See, you do know what to do! Just don't let Rachel see you punching her, if you have to I mean."

Settling back and feeling a lot lighter now she had spoken to someone about the situation with Shelby, the pilot laughed softly.

"So, take her to one side and ask her what her deal is then?"

Nodding, Santana shot her own bottle into the recycling bin before replying.

"Exactly, and don't let her squirm off the hook either, she's been making you feel uncomfortable so it's time to turn the tables. Just make sure that Rachel isn't aware of it, at least until afterwards. I mean I love that girl like family but she can be almost as dense as you when it comes to people flirting with her. I swear getting you two to acknowledge each other's attraction was a herculean task, I may even need therapy!"

Rolling hazel eyes, the pilot let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks…ya know for, helping me out with this."

Shrugging, Santana stood and led the way back into the living room where Brittany was filling a small bowl with lukewarm water and bubbles.

"C'est nada Hermosa, although you can help me out if you wouldn't mind, I need to get some groceries so can you help Brits out?"

Quinn nodded reflexively before her higher brain function could scream out a warning and seconds later she found her arms full of hissing cat while a smirking Santana bolted out the door hurriedly. Brittany smiled in relief as she ran a hand through the water.

"Thanks for this Quinn, it's always easier to bathe Lord Tubbington with help!"

Forcing a weak smile for the dancer's benefit, Quinn glanced down into the cat's narrowed blue eyes.

_Aw crap!_

Two hours later, Quinn walked in the front door of her own house, minus one shirt sleeve and plus a great many cat scratches, Rachel winced knowing where Quinn had gone and quickly surmising what must have happened. J.D. smirked and opened her mouth to comment when one warning finger pointed in her direction and the pilot ground out from between gritted teeth.

"Not one word wiseass or you're sleeping on the porch tonight!"

Smirking widely, the teen mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key, Rachel stood with some effort due to the rapidly growing bump and laid a hand on her fiancée's arm.

"Come on let's get you cleaned up shall we?"

Watching the two women walk away, J.D. just shook her head to herself before going back to her comic book with a grin. _Who needs super powers when I have a family this interestin__g? _Thankfully most of the cat scratches, the visible ones anyway, had healed by the time the weekend rolled around for their trip to Disney. In the back of her mind, Quinn was prepping herself for a quiet little talk with Shelby about Rachel, but in an effort to try and give the older woman the benefit of the doubt, she decided to treat the weekend as a chance to get to know the diva's agent properly. Taking the agent's case, she loaded it into the back of the car carefully, they'd decided to go from their house as it meant less hassle for Rachel, forcing a smile she spoke companionably.

"So…this meeting is going to be good for Rachel huh? I mean work with Disney could lead to a lot of contacts couldn't it?"

Shelby regarded Quinn warily as she nodded.

"Yes, although parenthood will impact upon that quite badly, although with the proper support I'm sure she can do it, and with you not having a proper full time job that shouldn't be an issue."

Gritting her teeth so hard she swore a filling had fallen out, the pilot forced a smile.

"Well, the work I do is contract based and highly paid so I can afford to take time off to coincide with Rachel's projects."

Folding her arms and smiling serenely as they waited for Rachel to join them from her last minute toilet break, Shelby commented.

"I didn't realize mechanics were paid that much, it isn't exactly much of a specialized career is it?"

Feeling her temper starting to boil, Quinn let her nails dig into the palm of her clenched fist and took a calming breath, mentally congratulating herself when she sounded casual as she replied.

"Well, if I was just a grease monkey then I wouldn't be, but as I have two degrees in engineering, one mechanical and one in Aerospace it's a little more than just a job. However as it's a specialized field I made sure I could do the simple jobs as well as the complex, that way I won't ever be out of work."

Whatever the agent had it in mind to say was halted by the arrival of a flustered Rachel who smiled in embarrassment.

"Sorry baby, your children are using my bladder like a squeeze toy."

Smirking slightly, Quinn raised one eyebrow and linking her arm through the diva's kissed the top of her head.

"Oh I see, when they act up they're my children huh?"

Wrinkling her nose in the way that made Quinn's stomach do a little flip, the diva giggled.

"Of course! You should know by now how it works with pregnant women Quinn, the good stuff is mine and the bad stuff must be your fault."

Laughing along with the brunette, Quinn stole another soft kiss, at the long-standing joke between them, to the side Shelby cleared her throat until Rachel looked up from the intimate moment.

"Sorry, I hate to interrupt but we want to get there with enough time to get settled in properly don't we?"

Nodding with a slight trace of guilt, Rachel squeezed the blonde's hand one last time as Quinn helped her into the passenger seat.

"Sorry Shelby, bladder doesn't seem to want to listen to me these days!"

Smiling happily, the older woman reached over to squeeze the brunette's hand gently.

"Don't worry about it, it's hardly your fault is it"

The way she said it caused the hackles to rise on the back of Quinn's neck and she had to remind herself to play this subtly and not just punch the insufferable agent in the face…as much as she very dearly wanted to at that moment. Luckily the ride to the airport went by fairly companionably, Rachel and Shelby chatting excitedly about the meeting and what possibilities it held for Rachel, meanwhile Quinn was obsessively checking that they had their passports for the fifth time. The problems began anew however as soon as they got to the airport, in retrospect Quinn should have realized something was wrong when Shelby said she would organize all their tickets. Rachel and Quinn sat together on a bench with the luggage waiting for Shelby to check them in, giggling and canoodling like teenagers on their first holiday away from their parents. Interrupting the couple's impromptu game of thumb wars, Shelby cleared her throat before bestowing what, to Quinn's mind at least, looked like a completely insincere smile.

"I'm afraid there's been a mix up with the tickets…I managed to get us all into business class but I could only get two seats together."

Grinding her teeth as she watched what looked like a triumphant gleam shine in Shelby's eyes, Quinn forced her gaze away from the agent's.

Returning a smile which was every bit as insincere as Shelby's, Quinn shrugged.

"That's not a problem, we'll just meet you at the baggage claim on the other side."

_There, see how you like them apples Shelby McBitchface!_ Internally, Quinn high fived herself but it was cut short when Rachel spoke.

"I was hoping to go over a few things Quinn, I just kept drifting off during the day when I was meant to be reading, sorry?"

Quinn glanced sidelong at the agent and then back to Rachel who looked truly torn over what to do. Gentling her expression, the blonde ducked her head to press a light kiss to the diva's temple.

"If you ask me they'll snap you up in five seconds flat, read through or not, but if it's going to help you then sit and go through lines okay, we'll sit together on the flight back and drink non-alcoholic champagne to celebrate, kay?"

Squeezing the blonde into as tight a hug as the bump would allow, Rachel peppered her face with kisses until she had Quinn giggling like a toddler.

"You are so going to get laid this weekend!"

Linking arms with the diva, Quinn counted that as a win for her and smirked at Shelby as she picked up their hand luggage, despite her aim to be the bigger person she couldn't quite stop the little jolt of triumph at the agent's sour expression. Once she made sure that Rachel was settled comfortably in her seat, the pilot made her way to her own, a 'mere' twelve rows back. Muttering under her breath, she thumped down into her seat, rummaging in her carry on until she pulled out the book on aeronautics she'd been reading. The guy sat next to her raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the cover.

"So, you know something about this plane the rest of us don't?"

At the polite, and slightly amused, inquiry Quinn looked up and then back at the book before raising her eyebrows in realization.

"Aw geez, no this is just personal interest, I have a couple degrees in this stuff and my partner was asking me about maybe getting a masters. Figured it couldn't hurt to look over a few course guides and reading materials."

Smiling brightly, the taller guy offered his hand.

"Mike Billings, pleased to know if there is a problem with the plane I'm sitting next to someone who might be able to figure out what's going on!"

Chuckling, Quinn shook his hand before introducing herself, as it turned out Mike worked for British Aerospace and so instead of ending up sat next to some dour faced businessman or hyper active child, the blonde found herself chatting companionably about engineering. By the time they made it to L.A she had made not only a new friend but a possible business acquaintance, Rachel was over the moon and linking her arms with Quinn's to disembark from the plane, kissed her fiancée repeatedly.

"Only you could get on a plane with a stranger and walk off with a business contact!"

Smiling happily, Quinn chanced a sideways look at Shelby as she replied.

"Who knows, it might lead to me getting a job as more than a grease monkey?"

Rachel who had no idea of the previous conversation between Quinn and her agent just scoffed as she gently swiped at the blonde's side.

"Quinn, you were never just a grease monkey and you know it! Why do you think your mom and I kept nagging at you to do that degree and internship with Boeing, you may do your best to hide it Fabray but you are a genuine genius nerd!"

Laughing slightly, Quinn decided to let it rest there for now, after all hearing it from Rachel had a lot more clout than hearing it from Quinn herself…and judging by the sour look on Shelby's face even she couldn't argue with it. Once they got their bags and were headed to the Disney hotel, Quinn started bouncing around with barely contained enthusiasm, babbling about all the things they had to see between Rachel's meetings and appointments, the brunette laughed and just nodded along in agreement. She loved seeing this excited innocent side of the blonde and her only regret was that their children weren't there yet to enjoy it as well, not that she thought for one moment Quinn would object to another visit. Safely checked in and in their hotel room, which Shelby had managed to get right, Quinn noticed Rachel wincing slightly as she collapsed into the large overstuffed comfy chair. Making her way over to the little diva, she dropped a soft kiss on the crown of her head before starting to rub her shoulders. Moaning appreciatively, Rachel leaned into the knowing touch of the pilot.

"God that feels good Quinn, you always seem to know what I need, more so than our kids who seem to be playing with my insides like they're on a jungle gym!"

Chuckling slightly, the blonde sat on the floor in front of Rachel and sliding off the brunette's sneakers started to rub her feet and calves.

"Well you did make me read all those pregnancy books, even I can take a hint that blatant, besides which I'm not working right now so there's no excuse for me not looking after you is there?"

Raising an amused eyebrow that didn't quite hide her concern, the diva muttered.

"Apart from your still healing broken wrist you mean?"

Looking up from where she was working to ease the tension in Rachel's muscles, Quinn smiled softly.

"Hey, quit that okay? My jaw is healed, my ribs are fixed, most of the bruising has gone down and my wrist is only in this cast another week, the only thing bugging me is the itching as it heals and the fact I can't get at it to scratch it!"

Smiling fondly, Rachel reached down and ran her hand through the blonde's hair scratching her scalp lightly.

"If I could reach it for you I'd scratch that itch, as it is I can make sure I scratch your other itches, at least until I become the size of a white whale as opposed to the killer whale I am now."

Although it was said jokingly, the blonde ceased her massaging motions for a moment and shuffled closer to Rachel's baby belly. Lying her head on it sideways so she could hear the babies' heartbeats, the pilot spoke softly.

"You listen to me oh gorgeous mother of my children, you are not a whale you are a glorious Rubinesque woman whom anyone would be lucky to know let alone love. I find you attractive when you're puking in the toilet, when you're crying over one of those sappy movies you make me watch…I mean heck, do you remember that winter you got the flu real bad and looked like the swamp thing was crawling out of your nostrils every other minute?"

At the brunette's slightly tearful giggle, Quinn smiled gently and continued.

"Exactly, and if that didn't chase me off then I'm pretty sure that nothing is going to! So you can try as hard as you want to Miss Berry but I am going nowhere that isn't with you…except the bathroom, because I need to pee!"

Knowing the brunette was overly tearful at this stage in her pregnancy, Quinn deliberately ended with a joke and leapt up with an exaggerated wee-wee walk towards the bathroom, happy when she heard the tinkling laughter follow her. When she exited the bathroom Rachel was already half drowsing, nudging the brunette's shoulder lightly, Quinn knelt down to whisper.

"Come on sleeping beauty, time for you to get some rest before dinner or you'll get all grouchy!"

Narrowing her eyes playfully, Rachel let Quinn help her onto the large bed, yawning widely.

"If it weren't for the fact that I am in fact sleepy I'd get you back for that Miss Wiseass!"

Smirking, Quinn planted a kiss on the brunette's forehead and then tiptoeing over, lowered the blinds and made her way out to the hallway, deciding to go and book a few things in the park for after Rachel's meeting. She got as far as the lobby when she bumped into Shelby who was walking out of the gift shop with a wrapped package; there was a moment's awkward silence before the agent spoke.

"So…where's Rachel?"

Frowning slightly, the blonde tucked her hands into her back pockets.

"She's resting, she gets pretty tired pretty fast these days, I gave her a quick massage and now I'm going to pick her up a few things, maybe book a day in the park."

Tucking a stand of hair behind her ear awkwardly, the agent nodded, shifting her package from hand to hand.

"Well…I suppose I should go and see to my own arrangements, make sure we're ready for the meeting, I know she can't have had that much free time herself, given the pregnancy."

And that was the metaphorical straw that broke the back of Quinn's patience…

"Okay that's it! We need to talk and we need to talk now, so you want to do it here or somewhere less public."

Although she was trying to stay calm in the face of what she personally considered to be extreme provocation, the blonde's words came out clipped and impatient. Internally she held her breath, wondering if Shelby would try and play this off as being in Quinn's mind only. Instead, the agent just let out a weary breath and nodded.

"Yes I suppose we should talk, come along then, we may as well keep it civil and do it over coffee."

Without waiting for Quinn's reply, she took off at a brisk walk towards the cafe situated in the hotel lobby, with great restraint, Quinn managed to follow after her at a normal pace and resist jogging to catch up, which she was sure the agent was aiming for. She even managed to stop herself from childishly imitating the brunette's confident strut, although she did poke her tongue out. They were soon seated at a small table in one corner of the café, which was far enough away that even if they did end up raising their voices, no one should hear them. Quinn stayed silent as she watched Shelby go through the routine of pouring and preparing the coffee for both of them, she even remembered that Quinn preferred tea! Once the drinks were poured and the agent had made at least a partial show of picking at the scone on her plate she spoke.

"So…"

Letting it trail off questioningly, Quinn set her cup and saucer back down before starting to talk.

"I get the impression you don't like me Shelby, and if I'm honest I'm not actually keen on you either, in fact I think you're kind of a bitch."

When that statement garnered no more reaction than a slight smirk, the pilot gained a bit more confidence and making sure not to put her elbows on the table (good manners after all), leaned forward.

"The thing is I have no idea _why_ exactly you hate me, I do everything I can to make Rachel happy, from midnight runs to the malt shop to doing the Snoopy dance to make her laugh!"

Dark eyebrows rose in mild surprise at that.

"You can do the Snoopy dance?"

Flushing a dark red and annoyed at herself for letting that little tidbit of information slip, the pilot cleared her throat before mumbling.

"That isn't important…the important thing is that I don't get why you look at me the way you do! To the best of my knowledge, I never trod on your puppy or spilt coffee on your expensive Gucci jacket."

Absentmindedly, Shelby muttered a reply as she frowned thoughtfully.

"Chanel actually, the shoes are Gucci."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn waved a hand vaguely.

"That isn't exactly the point I wanted you to clarify, I love Rachel and I would do anything for her!"

Brown eyes suddenly swiveled sharply to drill into hazel ones.

"If that were true then why don't you have a full time job, _why_ haven't you made the most of your degrees instead of fixing police cruisers and flying skydivers every weekend, _why_ are you having children when you haven't even allowed Rachel to launch her career yet, and most of all if you care about her so much and are so dedicated to her then _why_ were you mugged in the back alley of some scummy bar where you got so dunk you had to have your damn stomach pumped!"

Blinking at the tirade of angry words, the blonde couldn't help but flinch guiltily at the mention of her 'mugging' outside that shithole bar. Pouncing on that flinch of guilt, and in Shelby's mind, admission of fault, the agent pressed her point home.

"Because where I come from Quinn, those are not the actions of someone who is acting responsibly or someone who cares for their partner!"

She set her cup down so abruptly the cup rattled in its saucer and pushing aside the flash of guilt she had at the reminder of her ill-advised actions regarding J.D.'s case, Quinn replied calmly.

"Listen Shelby, I don't care what you think about for me for the simple reason that you are good for Rachel's career and she seems to like you. But don't you dare to presume what goes on in our lives behind closed doors! There is more to most stories than meets the eye and contrary to what you seem to think, it is none of your damn business!"

Drinking down the last of her tea, Quinn wondered exactly how possible it was to reply without either yelling or lashing out. Forcing herself to calm down, she looked into the agent's haughty brown eyes and scratched her nose before continuing.

"Look, however you feel about Rachel, you aren't going to split the two of us, and if that's what you're aiming for then I'm giving you a month to find her different representation before I tell Rachel about your little power play games with me, and trust me when I say I _know_ she will believe me…no matter how talented a liar you are."

Sitting back to pour herself more tea, Quinn was shocked to see Shelby's hand shaking as she moved to break off another bite of the scone that she wasn't actually eating.

"How…dare you even hint that I would do something as low as deliberately sabotage your relationship! I may not like you, I may think that Rachel could do better but I wouldn't wish the stress of a break-up on her simply to get rid of you!"

Snorting impatiently at the older woman's apparently contradictory statements, Quinn sat back in her chair and scowled.

"_Do__n't_ okay, don't even try and deny it! The only reason you are doing what you are doing is because you think you would be a better match for her than me!"

Angrily, Quinn swiped up her cup and gulped a scalding hot mouthful down to quell the anger rising in her gut. Instead of her anger being mirrored back at her however, Shelby looked equal parts horrified and stunned.

"God no, I am most certainly not looking to have a relationship like _that_ with Rachel, I'm not gay Quinn and even if I were, I certainly would not be going after my own daughter!"

The last mouthful of Quinn's tea didn't make its way down her throat into her stomach…instead it ended up sprayed all over the table, Shelby's face and her expensive Chanel (not Gucci, the pilot absently reminded herself) jacket.

_Shelby is Rachel's __**mother**__**!**_ Was the first thought that smacked Quinn in the face, followed milliseconds later by the realization…

_I just spat tea in my prospective mother-in-law's face…well, __**shit!**_


	14. Chapter 14

For the longest moment, silence reigned supreme over the small corner table of the café that housed Quinn and Shelby…and then reality came crashing back with a vengeance. Wincing internally at the look of shock mixed with disgust that swam through the older woman's dark eyes, Quinn scrabbled for a tissue, a napkin, hell; even the _tablecloth_ would do at a push…anything to wipe off the very prominent drip of tea that was currently making its way down the agent's nose. Swallowing down what little of the liquid that was left in her mouth, Quinn pushed the potentially devastating faux pas to the back of her mind. Something that was easier to do than she'd thought, especially in light of Shelby's revelation. Handing over a napkin with a shaking hand, the blonde waited until the agent had cleaned most of the tea from her face before leaning forward in her seat and finally letting loose the question that had been rolling around her head.

"Are you _shitting_ me?! I mean…you're her _mom,_ as in…the woman who gave birth to Rachel, the one she knows nothing about!?"

Trying desperately to hold onto what little dignity she had left after her Earl Grey shower, Shelby cleared her throat.

"Yes, I'm her mother, yes I gave birth to her and no I'm not shitting you, as you so eloquently put it! I hadn't exactly planned on telling you either, especially not like this, but…as your mind seemed to have multiplied two and two to make five I had to."

Snorting slightly, the pilot leaned back in her seat before shaking her head emphatically.

"No, no freaking _way_ do you get to do this Shelby!"

The agent raised a surprised eyebrow at Quinn's outburst.

"Pardon me?"

Scowling mildly the pilot shook her head again before waving a hand between the two of them pointedly.

"This…blame _me_ for this whole situation! I knew _nothing _about you being her mother, how the hell would I? So you can sit there and get pissy with me if you want, but how the hell do you _expect_ me to react when you drop a bomb like that, however or why ever you told me you are not blaming me for this situation!"

Shelby stared at her for a long moment, her jaw twitching with all the things she obviously wanted to say, after a moment's pause however she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath.

"I…suppose you are right, about that at least. It was all I could think to say when you assumed I was interested in Rachel in a romantic way however."

Holding her hands out to the sides to emphasise her cluelessness, the pilot raised an eyebrow.

"No offence Shelby but what was I supposed to think? You question everything I do for her, every decision we make as a couple, and you take every chance you can to belittle me! In retrospect, it is of course typical mother in law behaviour, but when the person in question doesn't _know_ that you're the mother in law then it comes across as someone competing, can you at least understand how _I_ saw things?"

Blowing out a small breath, the agent flipped her hair over one shoulder with one hand before acquiescing with a slight nod.

"Very well, I will admit that given those operational parameters even I may have come to the same conclusion. However as we _are _now talking about how actions can appear to others, can _you_ appreciate how some of the decisions the two of you have made have caused me to be concerned for Rachel's welfare?!"

Quinn opened her mouth to argue the point that anyone who knew how she felt for Rachel would _never _question her intentions towards the little diva…when it hit her. Shelby didn't know exactly how Quinn felt, let alone the less than straight forward way that she and Rachel had conceived the triplets; and that was without even mentioning the whole spirit ranger deal. Closing it again she looked down to her hands and wondered how to answer honestly without answering _too_ honestly and scaring the woman away, eventually letting loose a huff of irritation, the pilot nodded once.

"Yeah, okay I get that now…and all I can tell you is that there is more to every story than what you see Shelby. You have to understand that as close as you are to Rachel as a friend, she doesn't know you as her mother so there are some things, some very important things that she _hasn't_ told you."

Raising a severe eyebrow, Shelby's mouth tightened imperceptibly and she settled her empty tea cup back down in its saucer with a decisive thump.

"I am not stupid Quinn and am well aware of exactly what my place in Rachel's life is, however, even the most liberal minded of people would have difficulty finding a reasonable excuse for you getting drunk and beaten up in a seedy alleyway behind an even seedier bar when you have a pregnant fiancée!"

Groaning internally, the pilot silently cried out for Gabby to turn up and help her out with this one…predictably that didn't happen, presumably as it wasn't spirit related. Running both her hands down her face wearily, Quinn sighed and decided to tackle the real topic of conversation that Shelby was so carefully doing her best to steer her away from.

"I think my behaviour is the last thing we should be currently worrying about, don't you? I mean _when_ are you going to tell Rachel, more importantly why the _hell_ didn't you tell her in the first place!"

Trying not to look too satisfied at the extremely awkward look that flashed across the older woman's face; Quinn just sat back and waited for the answer. Eventually Shelby started to talk, haltingly and perhaps a little woodenly at first, but gaining speed and emotion as she went.

"I never…well, I don't suppose anyone ever intends for things to be like this really, but it's important that you know why I did what I did."

Frowning slightly at the confused emotions in the older woman's voice, Quinn just nodded and sat on her judgement as she busied herself pouring them both another drink; after a weak smile of thanks, Shelby carried on.

"It was never my intention to rent out my womb, or to give birth to any child that I wouldn't have a part in raising…but sometimes, sometimes things happen that we have little control over, or that we at least _feel_ we have little control over. I used to be just like Rachel, eager for the stardom, never feeling more alive than I did when I was up on stage singing my heart out, performing was what I felt I was born to do and for a while I did…I was definitely heading for the top."

She paused, seeming to need a few mouthfuls of tea to clear her throat enough to go on, Quinn just waited patiently, and as much as she wanted to push she could tell this was difficult for the older woman.

"I had just been offered a part on Broadway, it wasn't a huge part but it _was_ Broadway! I was to be an understudy for the part of Cosette. I was star struck and happy to take the role of an understudy because just the chance to finally be on Broadway was all I'd wanted. I had dedicated my life to the stage, as such I had little to no love life but I did live vicariously through my friend Brandon."

Shelby's face lit up in a soft way that Quinn had never seen before, whoever this Brandon was obviously meant an awful lot to her. Sensing the younger woman's eyes on her, the agent looked up.

"He was very much my version of Kurt, he's part of the reason I took them both on as clients despite their lack of experience on the stage. Brandon was very much a butch gay though; breaking women's hearts left right and centre! It made him an amazing male lead to act opposite. He was also an irrepressible flirt, I often said he made up for my lack of a sex life with all the lovers he had, don't get me wrong he wasn't a bastard to them or anything…he just loved men."

Nodding to show she was listening and to encourage the agent to continue her story, Quinn sipped her own tea.

"However, a lifestyle like that can have unfortunate consequences, no matter how careful you think you are being."

Feeling a sinking in the pit of her stomach, the pilot had an unfortunate idea of where this story was going, glancing up to Shelby's waterlogged eyes she knew she was right when the older woman nodded solemnly at the unasked question.

"He contracted HIV, at first he was good and stayed on his meds but back then the medications weren't as refined or as effective as they are now. Within the year he was diagnosed with full blown AIDS, his parents had disowned him since he came out to them in senior year of high school so they were of no support to him. Do you know; when I rang them to tell them they had the gall to say they were relieved? That one more freak would be gone from the earth?! Who says that about their own damn _child?_"

Realising she was getting angrier and louder, the older woman settled back in her chair and took several deep breaths to calm herself. For her part, and even though she had no idea who these people were, Quinn shared the anger Shelby held for this man's _so called_ parents. Silently she handed over a clean tissue which the agent accepted with a silent nod of thanks, after a moment she carried on.

"Brandon only had me to look out for him, I was the only one available so I turned down the role on Broadway and I got a job in a café down the street to help him with medical bills. For a while, maybe six months or so it worked out fine. Brand had a fair few thousand saved up from his leading man days and I made enough to cover the household bills. But then he got sicker, a _lot_ sicker and suddenly the bills were piling up and no matter how hard I worked I couldn't make enough and still have time to look after him; that was when I met Leroy and Hiram."

As the story started to come together in Quinn's mind she felt sick, not at what Shelby had done but why she felt she had, had to do it. She couldn't even imagine what she would do if it was Santana, Brittany, J.D or Rachel in a similar situation, she found herself gulping down her tea to stop from interrupting the woman. Shelby seemed to be in a place all of her own at that moment, dwelling in the past as she recounted how she came to give birth to Rachel.

"They were at the coffee shop I worked in, it catered primarily for the gay population so it wasn't unusual to see two guys holding hands or sat close together. But they were different, they looked so _sad__,_ and I couldn't help but ask why. It turns out they had been trying to adopt for over two years but had eventually been turned down for being 'unsuitable' despite the fact they earned more than enough, had a lovely home and steady jobs. It was the way things worked back then, it's always been much easier to use surrogates for same sex couples to become parents, still is to some extent. Anyway, it wasn't something either of them mentioned at the time, but they were regular customers and after that it became the main point of conversation between us whenever we saw each other."

Shelby finished her drink and then smiled faintly as she remembered the two men fondly.

"They knew about Brendan, and asked me every time they came in about how he was doing, for the most part I managed to keep a lid on how I was feeling, how bad things were getting…but one day I just couldn't. It had been a long shift at work and Brand's latest tests had come back from the hospital confirming that the medication was no longer having any effect on the virus, so I ended up collapsing onto Leroy in tears. I must have been a complete wreck, I think I cried for almost an entire afternoon, but they simply held me and let me get it out of my system, in between feeding me that is, because they asserted I was far too skinny for my own good."

Quinn chuckled fondly at that and nodded.

"That sounds like Hiram alright, he hasn't changed much."

Shelby smiled with a mix of relief and sadness before looking down to her fingers quietly, after a moment she carried on.

"Once I'd calmed down, they said they wanted to help me, just like that, _'let us help you'_ they said. I pointed out that they could hardly afford to take any time off work either…at which point they said that wasn't what they meant. They wanted to pay for a dedicated home help to look after Brand when I couldn't, I hadn't even known them that long but here they were offering to help out me, and a man they had never even met! My parents had always told me there were still good people out there, people who would do something just because it was the right thing to do, but until then I don't think I believed them."

Smiling internally, Quinn now knew for certain, if she hadn't before, that Rachel had definitely gotten her values from her fathers, and unknowingly it seemed, also her mother.

"I told them no of course, I mean we were talking of tens of thousands for proper care but they wouldn't let me refuse. Before I even knew what was happening there was a nurse by Brandon's side twenty four seven, and although both he and I knew he wouldn't recover…it made his last days peaceful, comfortable and filled with his friends and laughter, rather than stuck in a sterile hospital ward. It was all I could have wanted for him, he died happy despite the disease that was ravaging his body."

Despite having never met Brandon, the pilot found herself discreetly wiping away the tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes. Shelby smiled weakly before gesturing for more tea, the two women sat in a not uncomfortable silence until the tea had been delivered and the waitress left. This time Shelby poured, and despite the fact the blonde wasn't really thirsty anymore she gratefully accepted the beverage, waiting for the agent to continue, eventually she did, in a softer but more level voice.

"I was a mess just after it happened, Hiram and Leroy stayed with me for nearly a month, making sure I ate, got up, washed and dressed…when I lost my job they helped to get me another one, a better paid one actually."

She smiled faintly as she wondered yet again how the men had managed to do it.

"Eventually I fell back into a routine, I even started to feel almost normal, and it was then I started paying more attention to what else had been going on around me. Leroy had finally found a surrogate but she had taken their money and then run off, they had just about given up hope on being able to give a child a home which is when it hit me. After everything these two men had done for me there was one thing, one seemingly _simple_ thing I could do to pay them back."

Knowing Hiram and Leroy the way she did, Quinn doubted it had been that easy and raised a speculative eyebrow. Chuckling slightly, the agent nodded her head as she replied.

"As you've probably guessed, when I offered to surrogate for them they refused, they said it was one thing to ask someone who was used to being a surrogate but a whole other thing for a friend to do it. I pointed out all they had done for me but still they refused, saying they had done those things because I was a friend…when I pointed out that that was exactly why _I_ was doing it they had to stop and think. It was far from easy to persuade them that I wanted to do it for the right reasons, and at the time I honestly thought I was, at the time it all seemed to make sense."

Feeling the urge to reach out, Quinn decided to just go with it and placed one hand gently over one of Shelby's. She wasn't sure how it would be received, but after a moments shock the agent turned her hand over and accepted the grip the younger woman was offering her. Blowing out a breath Shelby continued, eager to finish the story as the feelings of loss, shame and hurt swept over her again.

"So I got them to agree, I told them it would be the best thing I could do for them and eventually I wore them down, they insisted on a few therapists sessions first to make sure I wasn't doing it from guilt or a sense of duty, but I lied, I can admit that now. I was so desperate to show them how grateful I was for everything they had done for me that I lied and said I could do it. Technically I was right, from a physical point that is, there were no problems with the pregnancy and Rachel's birth was easy. But when I held her I knew it was the biggest mistake of my life."

Huffing out a breath, Shelby pushed her hair behind her ear with her free hand and spoke a little more quietly, a little more fractured.

"As soon as I held her I knew I didn't want to let her go…I couldn't, and yet at the same time, I had to. I'd made a promise to these men who had already given _so_ much for me. So I handed her to them and said I couldn't be in her life, that it would be too hard, they cried, I cried, even Rachel cried! But at that point I just couldn't be around her, I know now it was selfish, I was young, stupid and I'd rushed into something without taking into account my heart. So I walked away, I left her with them and I haven't spoken to them since, years later I saw Rachel perform in the glee club nationals and…well, I knew who she was straight away. So…I followed her as she made her way through college, when she started out I contrived a way to 'bump' into her and offer her a spot with my agency…you know the rest."

Blowing out a long hard breath Quinn ran a hand through her hair sending the already mussed locks in another six dozen compass directions.

"Jesus Shelby, how the hell have you been walking around keeping all that to yourself for so long?"

Shrugging lightly the agent looked down at their joined hands for a moment before gently disengaging the grip.

"I told my family, they've always been supportive, they were there when I was helping with Brandon, they were just too far away to do anything more practical than send food parcels, something my mom and grams are more than good at. I lied to them however when it came to being a surrogate, they asked if I knew what I was doing and I lied to them just like I had Hiram and Leroy. When I realised they had all been right…I felt I couldn't ask them for their help or understanding."

"Well _that's_ a load of bollocks!"

Shelby looked up in shock at the pilot's outburst, clearing her throat Quinn tried to think of a_ slightly_ subtler way of saying what she was thinking.

"I mean…you're family sound like they really love you, they wouldn't turn away from you but they probably _would_ kick your ass for thinking you didn't deserve their help. Wow, I thought _I_ was stubborn, but you take it to a whole other level! Look…the whole thing with you Hiram and Leroy I can't comment on. But I _do_ know that if you went to Rachel and told her what you just told me, she'd welcome you with open arms…I'm not saying she wouldn't be a bit hurt that you knew her all this time and didn't tell her, but that woman has the biggest heart and most forgiving nature of anyone I have ever known!"

A distant part of the pilot was sat back in her mind, just observing what was going on and wondering when she had gone from team 'hit Shelby' to simple old 'team Shelby' not that it mattered. This was Rachel's mother, and she obviously loved and had always loved her daughter…she'd be a shitty fiancée if she didn't do her best to get them talking to each other as mother and daughter as opposed to agent and client. She was brought out of her musings when Shelby shook her head a little bemusedly.

"You make it sound so simple Quinn…"

Smiling lopsidedly, the pilot shrugged a shoulder and noticing her reflection in the window, belatedly tried to flatten her hair with one hand as she spoke.

"Well, see here's the thing…Rachel was the one who made me think like that. I had a…friend, a close friend that I thought I owed everything to, much like you did with Brandon, and to a different extent, I also made mistakes that I was pretty sure stopped me from having any real happiness. Until Rachel called me on my bullshit, and trust me when I say she can be stubborn to the extent that even a _mule_ would give up arguing with her!"

At Shelby's slight smile, Quinn felt her own widen and she settled back in her chair, after all…it seemed pretty obvious to her what they all had to do.

"Look, I make it sound easy because in this instance it kinda _is_…go to her, tell her what you told me, just talk to her and I guarantee you that everything will work out. She'll just want to get to know her mom, and as that's what you wish for as well, I gotta say I'm not seeing the bad here?"

Raising a sculpted but amusing eyebrow, the agent drawled out humorously.

"Even if it means you get _me _as your mother in law?"

Rubbing the back of her neck lightly, the pilot pulled an uncertain face.

"Well, I'm hoping Rachel will help protect me from you…plus, to be fair, you did bring up a few genuine points and although it seems shitty from a distance, when you know the stories behind everything…well, I'm hoping we get to start over."

Finishing the last of the tea, Shelby regarded the pilot thoughtfully and eventually nodded with a small but genuine smile.

"I may live to regret this, but I think _I_ would like that too."

Grinning happily, the pilot spread her hands.

"All the ladies eventually fall prey to my charms!"

A split second afterwards, Quinn didn't even _need _to see Shelby's raised eyebrow to know that wasn't exactly the right thing to say to a prospective mother in law, grimacing slightly her hands moved into the surrender position as she hastily added.

"And _that_ is a prime example of the sort of thing you won't _ever_ be hearing me say again…just so you know…"

After a moment's quiet scrutiny, the edges of the agent's mouth turned up in a faint smile, she still had reservations about Quinn, she wouldn't lie, but she _also_ had to admit the blonde had her own brand of charm that was beginning to grow on her.

"Well that's good to know…and you really think I should just, go ahead and tell her?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, Quinn managed a half shrug, half nod.

"Well, let me put it this way, when it comes to Rachel I can't lie, it's just not in me to do it; so either you tell her in like…the next hour or so yourself, or you wait till_ I_ see her later this afternoon and end up blurting it out because I can't keep a secret for shit."

Nodding slightly, Shelby masked her concern in another needless adjustment of her hair and cleared her throat.

"Right, I shall go up and see her now then…oh and Quinn, thank you; for letting me explain myself."

Not expecting the gratitude, the pilot was stunned enough that the best she could manage was a sort of half wave, half salute gesture and an odd meeping sound. Luckily Shelby didn't call her on it and just walked away after a brief small smile, blowing out a breath, Quinn sat back in her seat muttering.

"I think that's got to be the most awkward and unexpected question I've had since…"

Pausing to consider which of life's recent events she could compare this to, she found herself letting out yet another strangled squawk of surprise when her erstwhile absent spectral friend piped up.

"The one you had with Rachel about knocking her up?"

Opening her mouth to fire off something that was most likely to be bleeped out in normal society, Quinn found herself swallowing the words down abruptly and replacing them with a weak smile as the waitress came up to ask (not without a certain degree of cautious concern) if everything was okay. After reassuring the young woman she was in fact fine and then swiftly paying the bill, Quinn headed out to the street, gesturing with a sharp jerk of her chin for the grinning Gabby to follow her. Once they were relatively alone, the blonde placed a Bluetooth headset on her ear and at the spectres questioning gaze, clarified.

"It makes it look less like I'm talking to myself! Now would you mind explaining to me why the hell you couldn't give me just a _tiny _hint that Shelby was Rachel's mom?"

Gabby bit the inside of her cheek to quell the amusement she felt, not at Quinn's predicament with Shelby however, more because although the Bluetooth headset had slightly toned down the crazy, the wild waving of arms sort of dialled it right back up again. Clearing her throat, the red head managed a one shoulder shrug before saying the one sentence she knew Quinn hated.

"It's one of the things I'm not allowed to do…you know how this works, some stuff I know and some I don't, and of the stuff I do know I can only tell you about half of it. It sucks I know but I'm assured it has to be this way and everything will work out…I mean it seemed to go okay, apart from your table manners."

Rolling her eyes irritably, the pilot crossed her arms.

"Yeah, great way for me to make a good impression huh? Spitting tea all over a Gucci jacket!"

Remembering the agent's slight correction of Quinn's assumption, Gaby automatically corrected her.

"Chanel, the_ shoes_…"

Scowling mildly, Quinn finished the sentence with her.

"Are Gucci, yeah I remember now! Either way I don't think the tea stain will do much to enhance its value."

Shaking her head in amusement Gaby slung an arm around the pouting pilot's shoulders.

"Cheer up Sherlock, if not for that little, um…ice breaker, you might not have found out, and now is the right time. If it wasn't then it wouldn't have happened…trust me, I'm beginning to get the hang of this destiny versus free choice shiz."

Snorting a reluctant laugh, Quinn half smiled and leaned into her friends embrace.

"Well do you mind sharing the secret with _me_ then?"

Scrunching her nose up in feigned consideration of the request, the ghost eventually shook her head.

"Nah, it's funnier watching you try to work it out on your own, plus I'm not allowed. As a character in one of your dorky sci fi show's always says _'spoiler's sweetie, spoilers!'_"

Raising an eyebrow Quinn just shook her head warningly.

"Tell me you did _not _just refer to Dr Who as dorky, let alone River Song!"

Punching her friends shoulder lightly, Gabby rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, you _know_ it's dorky! Besides, that River chick was much better as the lawyer in SVU and you know it!"

Unable to not react to the obvious needling of her friend, Quinn found herself having a nerd attack as she corrected Gaby.

"The actress is Alex Kingston Gaby, you know that cos I've told you before, and the 'lawyer' she played was a defence attorney named Miranda Pond; Which is highly ironic considering she ends up playing River Song, who was _technically _named Melody Pond. Miranda Pond was an awesome character though, I mean, you're meant to hate the defence attorney's cos generally they work for the bad guys. But in season ten, episode twenty she teamed up with Benson to bring down a corrupt judge, one of my favourite non Casey episodes."

It was at that point she realised Gaby's shoulders were shaking with repressed mirth at her nerd out, rolling her eyes good naturedly, the pilot thumped her friends shoulder.

"Oh shut up, what can I say…I love the accent!"

Groaning faintly, Gaby draped herself over Quinn's shoulders in a melodramatic fashion as she griped.

"Believe me I remember, all those bloody BBC costume dramas you made me watch _just_ because she was in them! Even you had no idea what was going on in some of them, admit it!"

Rubbing the back of her neck, the pilot laughed softly.

"Okay, admittedly I got a bit lost with a couple of them but we were like thirteen at the time!"

For a comfortable moment they stayed there, leant against the wall behind them giggling at shared memories, eventually Quinn wiped the tears of amusement from her eyes and let out a breath before asking quietly.

"I know there's a lot you can't tell me…and although it grates on me to admit it I'll trust those in charge because you do, but…I mean, things are gonna be okay aren't they, with Rachel and Shel…I mean, her mom?"

Eyes twinkling, Gaby exercised her judgement and decided that a little stretching of the rules wouldn't hurt; technically stretching _wasn't _breaking after all.

"They're going to be more than fine Sherlock…you did well, except the tea! You really need to get those table manners under control before the wedding! Last thing we need is you spewing sparkling water all over the bridal party during the speeches."

Poking her tongue out, Quinn fiddled with her Bluetooth headset idly before addressing the nature of her friend's sudden visit.

"So…is this a social call or was there something in particular I am needed for?"

Wobbling her free hand from side to side, Gaby shrugged.

"A bit of both, I mean technically you aren't back 'on duty' until a week or so after your cast comes off, as luck would have it however, there's one kinda odd little job you could complete this weekend if you're up to it?"

Grinning happily and suddenly realising exactly how much she had missed working on these odd little tasks, Quinn nodded eagerly.

"With the amount of emotion that's likely to be flying around because of Shelby and Rachel, I'll take any chance to exercise my little grey cells."

Gaby flicked the top of Quinn's ear lightly, grinning when the apparently 'rough and tough' pilot yelped.

"You're such a coward Fabray! Besides, don't you think she might want you around?"

Rolling her eyes, the pilot explained patiently.

"Of course she will and of course I will be there, however with the meeting she has most of tomorrow and the amount of talking she and Shelby will want to do, a task will be a welcome distraction…so come on, hit me with it, what do I need to do, kidnap Goofy?"

Tilting her head to one side Gaby looked shifty.

"Weeeeellllllllllllll…"

Hazel eyes almost bugged out of their socket's at that.

"Tell me you're kidding! Because as much as I love this whole helping spirits thing there is no way even I could get away with kidnapping one of the world's best loved cartoon characters!"

To her relief Gaby burst into peals of laughter.

"Sorry but that was just too good to resist, the fact you just about wet your boxers made it all the sweeter!"

Flushing a faint pink at being taken in, even if only for a second, Quinn scowled and jabbed a finger lightly at Gaby's ticklish side.

"Ha, ha, very funny smart ass! Can you blame me for leaping to that conclusion, ya know given that my first job had me breaking into a small museum and dismantling a wall, this aint exactly a regular nine to five job!"

Holding her hands up in surrender, the still giggling red head edged away from her friends tickling digits.

"Okay, true enough…but no, you don't have to kidnap anyone. It's kind of an odd one actually but someone just passed away who got every single autograph from both Disney parks with the exception of Belle here in good old L.A."

Suspicious of the fact the task seemed so simple, Quinn folded her arms and raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"That's all I have to do, get this autograph and send it to…whoever this person left behind?"

Smiling serenely, Gaby nodded, then tilted her head to one side and scrunched her nose in thought again before admitting.

"Well, I mean technically several people dress up as Belle and they sign it as which number they are like Belle 1, or Belle 2 and so on."

Exhaling heavily, the pilot shook her head with a resigned smile.

"Just tell me which number and I'll make sure I get it okay?"

Grinning widely, Gaby leapt to her feet with a little hand clap.

"That's my girl! Plus it will keep you from fretting too much about how Rachel is handling all this, because I know you Fabray and I know that's what you'll do. In fact…text her now to let her know you love her and are thinking of her then set your phone to alert you in two hours to go back and check on things!"

Her hands automatically started obeying her best friend even as her mouth retorted.

"So what, you're my PA now as _well_ as a guardian angel?

Flipping the bird whilst smiling sweetly, Gaby gave a small shrug.

"No I just know _you_, now go and get that done while Rachel has some bonding time with Shelby, then enjoy the rest of your weekend, I'll talk to you when you get back home okay?"

Quinn nodded slightly, heading towards the gate into the park before suddenly backpedalling to ask.

"So, um I know she's gonna be fine and everything and I already rang her once when we got to L.A and then again when we got to the hotel, but could you check in on J.D…if you get the time?"

Trying her hardest not to smirk at Quinn's overly protective maternal streak, Gaby assumed a serious face as she nodded.

"You got it…mama bear!"

Narrowing her eyes Quinn pointed a finger sharply at her friend even as she started to walk away.

"That's the one and only time you get to use that expression Armaro!"

Placing her hand on her heart and blinking innocently, the spectre nodded.

"Whatever you say…"

Turning on her heel, Quinn smiled and headed towards the entrance gates, but not fast enough to miss the addendum her friend called out.

"Mama bear!"

Quinn hoped that the people nearby put her amused laughter down to the non-existent conversation she was having over the headset!

By the time she made her way back to her and Rachel's hotel room two hours later, Quinn was tired, aching and ready for nothing more than a hot bath and room service, until of course she remembered what was most likely going on in her room. Blowing out a breath and hoping she wasn't going to have to play peace maker or protective fiancée, she pushed the door open…to silence. That was until she was fully in the room and spotted Shelby and Rachel sat close together on the plush sofa, heads bent over the agents mobile phone, as she hadn't been noticed just yet, the blonde placed her room key on the side and wandered over to get a closer look at whatever it was that had so completely captured the other women's attention. As she neared them, Rachel looked up and all of Quinn's fears and chaotic thoughts she had been pressing down since sending Shelby to talk to Rachel were suddenly gone. Her Rachel looked, happy, a little confused if you knew what you were looking for but mostly happy. Grinning in relief Quinn leaned over far enough to place a gentle kiss on the diva's lips before whispering.

"You okay Cheerio?"

Smiling tearfully the little brunette nodded and reaching up with one hand lightly scratched the nape of Quinn's neck.

"Never better Froot Loop, never better. I was just being photographically introduced to the rest of Shelby…um, well _my_ family as well I guess?"

She glanced at the agent, who for once didn't have her usual air of calm composure, but instead wore an almost bemused but delirious grin as she nodded emphatically.

"Yes Rachel, _your family_…one day, I mean not too soon what with everything else going on and the babies, but…one day soon I'd love to introduce you to all of them?"

The statement was framed as more of a question and even _Quinn_ felt like hugging Shelby when she saw Rachel's expressive brown eyes light up. Reaching out the diva took both Shelby's hands in hers and squeezed them gently as she replied.

"I would love that, just like I know my fathers would love to talk to you again, it sounds like the three of you were very close. I always wondered why they always sounded a little sad when they told me about my birth mom, I know now and I also know how much they would like it if you were around again. So how about I agree to meet my family on your side and you agree to re meet mine?"

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Shelby nodded her agreement and squeezed Rachel's hands lightly.

"That sounds like something I would very much like to do."

Catching sight of the pilot's not very cleverly concealed yawn over the little diva's shoulder, Shelby stood up.

"Now however, I need to go and get my notes together for tomorrow morning's meeting, make sure I get you every last red cent you deserve! And it looks like Quinn is kind of exhausted."

Frowning slightly the pilot tried to detect any hidden message within those words…but found nothing but an honest and vaguely thoughtful observation. Rubbing the back of her neck Quinn half smiled and managed a small nod in agreement.

"Well, while it hurts my pride to admit it, perhaps I don't have quite as much energy as the rest of the sugared up infants around here."

Going over to Quinn, Rachel wrapped her arms around the pilot, resting her head on one shoulder as she replied.

"Perhaps that's because as young as you think you are, your body isn't quite in agreement when it comes to traipsing around a theme park?"

Doing her best to look affronted rather than amused, the blonde lifted a hand and laid her forefinger on the diva's smirking lips.

"Hush your mouth woman! I am in the prime of my life…I just didn't get any sleep on the plane, unlike some!"

Shelby shook her head at the two women and after bidding them both goodbye headed to her own room. Once she had left, Quinn placed a very gentle kiss onto the crown of Rachel's' head, muttering softly.

"You really okay baby?"

Letting out a long breath the little diva pulled back to stare thoughtfully into Quinn's concerned hazel gaze. The blonde was on the verge of asking the question again when Rachel finally spoke.

"How do you do it, I mean I _know_ you have this superpower thing going on when it comes to the dead, but…there has to be another reason that you being in my life keeps bringing me so much good."

Flushing awkwardly the pilot instinctively went to run a hand through her hair before remembering she was holding Rachel, instead she rolled her eyes and did the next best thing, cracked a joke.

"I guess the powers that be had to build in some compensation for the fact I eat peanut butter right of the jar and leave my socks all over the house."

Rolling her eyes good naturedly, the brunette reached up and lightly cuffed the back of Quinn's head.

"Oh no you don't Fabray, don't go trying to make self-deprecating jokes to play down a compliment. You are…the most amazing, thoughtful, loving woman I have ever met! Not only are you helping people no one else can help, you are putting together a family that will mean our babies are going to grow up surrounded by so much love and protection even the devil him-self couldn't reach them. You are, quite frankly, my superhero…cape or no cape."

Resisting the urge to make yet another joke (because although she'd changed a lot she _was_ still Quinn Fabray after all) the pilot smiled and rested her forehead on her fiancées.

"Well, that's a _good_ thing because you're mine as well; you may not do weird ass things like talk to the dead or grow a Wang every month. But you do, do something that no other person on heaven or earth _can_ do, and that's save _me._"

At the diva's slight frown, Quinn freed one hand to place it over Rachel's mouth gently as she carried on her explanation.

"This gift of mine comes with some strings, we both know that now but I made some dumb ass mistakes thinking I was totally on my own at first. The beating I got was bad, but I could have lived with that and not regretted it too much…but getting drunk to get the job done? Even now I still question myself, still wonder why I chose that route, if it was truly because I thought it was the best way or because I just wanted a drink."

Seeing the understanding and forgiveness in Rachel's eyes gave Quinn the courage to continue.

"I know we never talked about that part, not really, and you have every right to ask. Despite what I wanted to get done, how important it was to stop people like those assholes, the bit I feel bad about was the drinking. I never…spoke to you, Santana, anyone really about how hard it was after getting out of hospital. I couldn't…because I felt like I _deserved_ it for having picked up a bottle in the first place. One night I was so close, so close to sneaking out to a bar…and you stopped me."

Smiling softly Quinn curved a hand around Rachel's cheek and answered the silent question in understanding brown eyes.

"You didn't even wake up, I swear to this day you were fast asleep when you did it, but you reached out, put your arm round me and pulled me in tight. You kissed my temple and just said 'no, baby' that was all…even asleep you reached out and pulled me in when I needed it. So…I figure if I can find the odd missing birth mother here and there, it sort of makes us even, ya know?"

Smiling her trademark crooked grin, the pilot leaned in to steal a quick kiss, sensing that she wanted to move away from this particular conversation, Rachel smiled back easily. It wasn't often Quinn opened herself up about the really heavy stuff in her life like she just had, so the diva was more than happy to move on to the topic of her newfound family.

"Yeah, about that…how on earth did you happen to come across that little nugget of information; Shelby was kind of vague about that part?"

Keeping a loose hold of one of the brunette's hand, Quinn stifled a yawn and dragged her gently towards the bathroom and the sunken tub she had made sure to specify.

"Let's take a nice hot soak in the tub and I'll tell you a little story about how a superhero with no cape, armed with nothing but a mouthful of earl grey tea, unveiled the secrets of one Shelby Corcoran!"

Giggling, Rachel was happy to let Quinn take the lead. The next day came all too quickly and while Rachel was up and about early, she left Quinn snoring softly as she got ready for her meeting with the studio executives. They'd worked out late last night that they wouldn't have time to go around the park together this visit, something they were both secretly relieved about as a proper visit would be so much better when the babies were born and could come with them. Quinn's only mission for the rest of that day was to locate Belle number 5 and get her signature, on the surface it sounded pretty easy, of course that was just on the surface. By the time early evening rolled around and the blonde realised it was time to meet up with Rachel and Shelby at the restaurant, she was fed up.

Not only had she so far been unsuccessful in locating Belle number 5, she had run past some idiot waving his hot dog around and gotten splattered with a mix of mustard and ketchup, just before managing to trip over a kid who'd wandered out in front of her. That little 'trip' had cost her two churros, a Mickey Mouse headband and one ice cream…as well as a bruised and swollen knee that had left her with a limp. That on its own would have been bad enough, the cotton candy that some woman had dropped in her hair and the fact she'd managed to fall into one of the many decorative fountains littered around the magic kingdom, had however put the mouldy cherry on top of the crap cupcake that was her day. Checking her watch, the pilot cursed as she realised she was already ten minutes late to dinner, so much for having time to change. Stopping in a gift shop she quickly purchased a T-shirt with Stitch the alien on it and dumped the ruined tank top in a waste basket, a quick clean up in the washroom and she looked…well, passable, but that would have to do! Spotting her fiancée at a table not far from the window, the grimace she'd been sporting for the last few hours transformed into a smile and she made her way over. Leaning down she placed a soft kiss on the diva's cheek just as she looked up with a smile.

"Hey baby, wow, nice top?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck before shrugging.

"Yeah, I had a run in with a clumsy guy and his mustard drenched hot dog, as I was running late I improvised, besides, Stitch is like a little rebel, he's easily the coolest of the Disney characters."

Rachel raised an eyebrow and waited for Quinn to settle into her seat before challenging that assumption.

"Cooler than Thomas 'O'Malley, the alley cat?"

The pilot nodded decisively.

"Yup!"

Shelby smiled slightly before weighing in on the debate.

"Cooler than Mittens the kitten from Bolt?"

Quinn pretended to think about it then nodded again as she looked over the menu hungrily.

"Yep, I'm telling you, the little blue guy is icy chill!"

Rachel shook her head fondly and looked up with a polite smile as the waiter set down three drinks, lemonade for her, Water for Shelby and a bright blue concoction for Quinn who raised a pleased but puzzled eyebrow.

"I ordered you Stitch's Blue bomb fruit cocktail, call it a hunch!"

Laughing in slight disbelief the pilot took a deep sip of the cocktail and grinned.

"This is awesome, so…any ideas what you guys are going to order? I still have to take it a little easy because of my jaw but that cheeseburger is looking like it has my name on it!"

Once they'd ordered their meals, Quinn looked from one carefully guarded expression to the other and back again, eventually she couldn't take it anymore and literally bounced in her seat with her need to know.

"Come on already, tell me how the meeting went?!"

The hint of a smile flitted around Shelby's lips but Rachel was having a much harder time keeping a lid on her extremely good news. Eventually she burst out excitedly.

"It went _amazingly_ well, they asked me to sing one of the songs from the new film and then to read through a few scenes with them…I really like the film, it's a little different to most of the recent ones they've released but I think it's going to prove really popular!"

Rolling her eyes slightly, Quinn reached out to still both of the brunette diva's wildly gesticulating hands.

"Yeah that's all great but what about YOU, what did they think, did they say if you have to come back for another reading or…?"

Rachel's grin threatened to split her face in two and Quinn knew even before the diva managed to tell her.

"I don't have to come back…because they gave me the role there and then! Shelby is thrashing out the details of it as we speak, well, to be accurate her assistant is but you know what I mean!"

Unable to keep the volume of her exultant cry below the level of 'ecstatic' the pilot attracted quite a few stares, and in the case of Rachel and Shelby, giggles as they reached out to settle her down. When she had her breath back the blonde leaned forward in her seat and grinned happily.

"So does that mean I'm marrying a bona fide Disney Princess?!"

Rachel smiled happily but wobbled her hand from side to side slightly.

"Well I don't want to give too much away right now because it's sort of top secret hush, hush. But I'll explain it all to you later and I think you'll agree that it's even better than a Disney Princess!"

Understanding of the secrecy big film companies sometimes surrounded their projects in, Quinn raised an eyebrow and steepling her fingers used her best Mr Burns impersonation to comment.

"I am intrigued!"

Rolling her eyes at the blonde's goofing around Rachel and Shelby started to explain exactly how much work would be involved and when the project was slated to start. Quinn listened attentively for once, knowing that although the project was due to kick off in full a good couple of months _after_ the babies were due, it would affect childcare and her own work schedule. There didn't appear to be anything that they wouldn't be able to work around however, especially with J.D, two sets of grandparents and maybe even Shelby to call on. The meal went well and both Quinn and Shelby got to see a different side to each other, it would be a while before they would be close but they were definitely not enemies anymore. It was as they were curled up together in bed that night, after Quinn had massaged Rachel's feet, and the brunette had in turn washed and kissed the blondes swollen knee better, that Quinn got to explain what she had been doing all day.

"So…you're stalking a Disney Princess?"

At her fiancée's snort of amusement, even Quinn managed a grin.

"Not _really_, I mean I just want her signature! It's looking more and more unlikely however, unless I get up really early and like…lurk around the dressing rooms they come out of?"

Rachel chuckled at that and ran her hand gently underneath the tank top the pilot was wearing for bed.

"Hmm, I think that definitely qualifies as stalking baby."

Drawing her fingers softly back and forth over the pilots abs in the hopes of distracting her with more interesting things they could be doing, the diva grinned when she heard a faint but still audible swallow next to her. Quinn was relatively pleased that her voice when she spoke sounded only a _little bit_ husky.

"W…well, okay maybe not lurk then, perhaps if I ask the guy who hands out the assignments he can point me in the right direction."

Humming in agreement, the little diva allowed her fingers to duck just underneath the waistband of Quinn's sleeping shorts. She grinned as she heard the sharp intake of breath when fingertips brushed lightly over the very edge of trimmed curls. This time the pilot's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Miss Berry, are you trying to seduce me?"

Allowing her hand to dip slightly lower; low enough that the tip of her forefinger ran lightly down then back up the slippery warmth between Quinn's already shaking thighs, Rachel husked.

"And if I were?"

Quinn abruptly sat up to hurl her tank top off over her head hurriedly, there was a dull crash as something broke, the blonde growled out as she pulled insistently at the hem of Rachel's own sleep shirt.

"Fuck it, whatever that was I'll buy a new one!"

Giggling, the diva followed suit with her own top before wriggling out of her sleep shorts and helping Quinn out of hers. The pilot pulled Rachel closer and into a passionate kiss that was more a clash of teeth and tongues than an expression of love. It wasn't often Quinn got commanding in the bedroom (as Rachel had bemoaned to Santana) so now it was happening she wasn't going to pass it up.

"God Rachel, you're so fucking sexy do you know that? You drive me frigging nuts just with a look from across the room!"

As she spoke she kissed, licked and nipped her way across the actresses mouth and down her jawline, Rachel moaned appreciatively and arched as close as the baby bump would allow her to, craving more of the blonde's touch. When Quinn latched onto her collarbone and began to bite a little harder, Rachel's grip on the pilot's side's tightened, nails digging in almost painfully as she urged her to move faster, feeling her hormones driving her almost insane with desire.

"More, baby more…please!"

Aware that Rachel had started rocking against her almost as soon as they'd started kissing; Quinn smirked against the diva's collarbone before pulling away from the now livid hickey with an audible popping sound. Looking into eyes that were almost as blackened with passion as her own, the pilot freed one hand to trail it torturously slowly down Rachel's chest until she ran the tip of one finger over a straining nipple.

"More what Rachel, what do you want, _exactly_?"

Rachel was so far gone already, thanks to her damned hormone's, that she was finding it difficult to talk, in lieu of words she spread her legs a little wider, desperately trying to encourage more contact from Quinn. The pilot smirked and pinched the nipple in front of her lightly, experience taught her that while most of Rachel preferred more force, her nipples preferred a gentler touch at the moment. As gentle as the touch _was_ it was still more than enough to have Rachel bucking into her again.

"Baby please, fuck me?"

Smirk growing wider, Quinn reached down with her spare hand and ran the first two fingers up through the copious moisture between Rachel's spread legs, making sure to only _just_ brush past her already straining clit.

"With my hands?"

Not pausing to wait for an answer, Quinn ducked her head and catching one nipple between her teeth lightly held it, repeatedly flicking the tip of her tongue over the sensitive bud. The hand that had previously been teasing the other nipple was now massaging the breast her mouth wasn't busy worshipping. Eventually the pilot kissed her way back up the arch of Rachel's neck, pausing to leave another lighter hickey just behind her ear, before husking out.

"Or my mouth?"

Rachel licked her suddenly dry lips, trying desperately to formulate a response, a situation not helped by Quinn's hands, which were massaging her chest, or her mouth which was nipping lightly at the skin of the diva's jawline. All the while making sure not to touch or brush against where Rachel desperately wanted, _needed_, her to touch. With a herculean effort Rachel managed to focus on something other than the sensations Quinn was eliciting in her, and the way her own nails were flexing tightly into the pilot's sides. Tight enough she knew there would be marks tomorrow, but also knowing the small hurts drove Quinn crazy. Swallowing on her dry throat Rachel managed to moan out a response.

"Fingers, use your fingers, I want to see you!"

Moving back up her neck to nip and gently pull at Rachel's ear lobe, Quinn growled in agreement. Pulling a pillow from her side of the bed, the pilot slid it just under the brunette's hips before pushing her down until she was lying in a way they'd found worked. Crawling on her hands and knees until she was resting over the trembling brunette, Quinn ducked her head down for a surprisingly gentle kiss, pausing long enough to make sure Rachel was comfortable, it was touching really, how even shaking with suppressed sexual energy, the blonde paused to check everything was okay. The sentimental thought disappeared almost as soon as it had entered the diva's mind, as with the next much more forceful kiss she felt Quinn enter her swiftly with two fingers.

Arching into the touch with a pleased cry, Rachel's hips began to move in tandem with Quinn's questing, energetic fingers. Every so often the pilot would curl her fingers slightly as she pulled them out, making sure to brush over the ridged flesh that drove Rachel wild. Sliding one hand under the diva's shoulders to hold her closer, Quinn spread her own legs. Knowing her intention, Rachel pulled one leg up slightly, echoing Quinn's grunt of pleasure as she felt the blonde's wet heat against her skin. Setting up her own rhythm against the taut muscles of Rachel's leg, Quinn began to move in and out of her fiancée faster, holding her thumb upright to make contact with the brunette's clit on each inward thrust. Rachel's hand gripped Quinn's shoulders desperately, leaving deep scratches whenever her grip slipped. Feeling her orgasm approaching, the diva tried to hold off so Quinn could come with her, between moans and cries of pleasure she managed to pant out.

"Gonna…come…soon! Kiss me…please!"

Lifting her head up from where she had been eagerly and happily attending to the diva's breasts, Quinn licked her lips and feeling Rachel's walls starting to flutter around her fingers, swiftly added a third before latching onto Rachel's mouth and kissing her with every last ounce of passion she was feeling. Using her leg for extra leverage with the last few thrusts, Quinn felt Rachel's orgasm rip through her, squeezing the fingers the blonde was reluctant to remove, tightly inside of her. Arching and thrusting the leg that Quinn had been riding up hard, Rachel ensured the blonde did indeed follow her into climax. The feel of Rachel's nails marking her from the small of her back up to her shoulders drew out the last of the tremors, leaving her breathless and aching in all the right places. Reluctantly sliding her fingers from Rachel's warmth, Quinn placed a soft kiss on the brunette's temple at the expected whimper of loss. When she had stopped shaking for long enough to roll onto her back, the blonde blew out a happy breath and turned to regard the brown eyes peering back at her lovingly.

"Wow…that was…"

Chuckling slightly, Rachel carefully extracted the pillow from under her hips and let it fall to the floor before replying.

"It certainly was, I think I like this new take charge Quinn, she's kinda hot!"

Smirking, the pilot pulled Rachel closer to her and stole another kiss before trying to stifle a yawn.

"Well then, maybe she'll come out to play more often, even more so when this cast comes off."

She idly waved the casted hand and Rachel half sat up with a guilty look.

"Oh my god I completely forgot about that, does it hurt, should I get you a painkiller, did you even bring any with you, maybe I can contact reception and…"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn reached up and lightly pulled the diva back down until she was resting in her arms again.

"I'm fine, tired but fine…now go to sleep and stop worrying, kay?"

Peering closely for a long moment as she looked for any signs of pain, the brunette eventually settled against Quinn comfortably.

"Okay, I'll believe you, it _has_ been sort of a long day…but what a way to end it!"

Smirking tiredly, Quinn muttered a 'you're welcome' before settling down, Rachel was almost asleep when she heard the pilot giggle slightly to herself. Wondering what was causing it Rachel murmured.

"What's so funny?"

Huffing out a tired laugh, the pilot confessed.

"I was just wondering if it was appropriate to change my Facebook status to 'Quinn has just deflowered her very own Disney Princess in the Magic Kingdom'."

Smiling despite herself, Rachel just shook her head before replying.

"Only if you want the next one to read 'Quinn is sleeping on the balcony tonight'!"

There was a moments silence before the pilot nodded faintly.

"On second thoughts maybe the world doesn't need to know all the details of our little holiday."

Rachel managed one more chuckle before succumbing to sleep, followed mere moments later by a still grinning Quinn.


	15. Chapter 15

When Rachel first awoke, it took her a moment to remember where she was and that what had happened the previous day _had_ in fact been reality and not just some crazy ass hormone induced dream. But no, it had indeedactually happened, she had found her mother, her birth mom, and what was better…the woman actually cared for her, actually wanted to get to know her! Smiling crookedly to herself, the actress ran a gentle hand over her belly, caressing the little lives it held inside of it.

"Your momma is one _lucky_ woman, and your poppa is pretty damn…sorry babies, I mean _golly_ fantastic. First she he got us all a home, and now she's found us your grandma, you guys are gonna have so many people looking out for you it's unreal."

As if in answer she felt the butterfly like fluttering of the babies moving inside of her, smiling slightly she exhaled and wondered belatedly where Quinn actually was. Normally the blonde was as difficult to rouse from bed as the kraken if she didn't have a good reason to move, but this particular morning…she was nowhere to be seen. Groaning under her breath at how much more effort just getting out of bed seemed to take these days, Rachel sat up and slid her feet into the fluffy hotel slippers. Yawning delicately she placed a hand into the small of her back before standing gingerly, although she had no regrets about going ahead with the pregnancy, she couldn't deny that her body was very much objecting as the end of the second trimester came into view. Stretching a kink out of her neck, the diva reached up to put the towelling robe on as she made her way out of bed and towards the sofa where she could hear a murmuring. As soon as she saw what the blonde pilot was up to she had to place her hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter. Quinn was sat with a timetable of appearances for the various Disney characters, a map of the facility and a stopwatch as she estimated times to get from various locations to the staff restrooms the characters would invariably exit from. Unaware of her audience, the pilot steepled her fingers together and placed the index fingers under her chin.

"Okay…I think I got this covered now, it'll be a busy day but I should be able to secure the autograph _without_ ruining any more of my clothes."

At that muttered, and slightly annoyed, statement Rachel could no longer hold in her mirth and despite her best efforts a giggle slipped past her lips. Turning around, Quinn hoped her face wasn't portraying exactly how embarrassed she was at being caught talking to herself yet again (which it was). Clearing her throat, she rubbed the back of her neck before sighing resignedly.

"How long have you been watching me? You little creeper."

Smiling happily, Rachel did her best to sashay around the couch (it was more of a waddle but Quinn still found it sexy) and sit next to the mildly amused pilot.

"Not long…I woke up and you were missing from my side which sort of grabbed my attention hot shot. Though I have to say I did _not_ expect to find you planning to accost the hard working staff of Disney world, that sort of thing makes_ you_, technically, more of a creeper than me…just FYI."

Rolling her eyes at the comment, the pilot sank back into the couch and smirked slightly as she gently pulled the diva close to her side.

"Yeah I know…I just wanna get this damn autograph sorted so I can complete the album and send it off. We only have one more day here and while I didn't really wanna go on any of the rides or anything cos of you and the peanuts…it _would_ have been nice to spend the day relaxing and watching the shows. I thought that if maybe I got this figured out early enough, we could still do something together, me, you and _maybe_ Shelby…if we kinda had to."

Laughing lightly, the actress wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and pulled her into a soft but questing kiss. Surprised at first, in the best way of course, the pilot took a moment to sink into the kiss, letting out a small mewl of disappointment when Rachel pulled away. Smirking at the kitten sounding exclamation of regret, the diva placed a soft kiss on the tip of her fiancées nose.

"Well, as much as I like your willingness to spend time with my newly discovered birth mother who I know you aren't that fond of, I think I may have a better idea…for both parts of your plan."

Keeping the diva as close to her as the growing baby bump allowed, Quinn tilted her head slightly to one side as the questioning eyebrow lifted into its most impressive 'intrigued' arch.

"Do tell me more!"

Smile growing mischievous, the actress reached behind her with one arm and swept the maps, notepad and stopwatch onto the floor with one seemingly practiced move.

"Oh I will, but only once I have had my breakfast!"

Frowning in misunderstanding, Quinn glanced at the mess on the floor then back at her fiancée.

"Well okay…but I could have just _put_ the stuff away?"

Rolling her eyes at the naivety of the pilot, Rachel slid from her lap to stand and using the arm still wrapped around Quinn's neck, eased her to her feet. Reversing their positions, the actress gestured for Quinn to sit on the edge of the table, at which point the blonde belatedly blushed with a shy grin.

"Oh…_breakfast_, gotcha!"

Laughing softy at the smirk on the pilots face, Rachel kissed her one more time softly before pushing gently on her chest until she lay down across the somewhat flimsy coffee table. A dim corner of Quinn's mind had time to wonder if the table was strong enough for this before she felt a questing tongue brush against her, at that point all thoughts unrelated to carnal activities were wiped from her mind. Half an hour later and Quinn had the answer to three questions she wasn't aware she'd needed to ask. Firstly, Rachel's appetite for her _was_ as voracious as it was for bugles and vanilla milkshakes. Secondly, no, the coffee table _hadn't_ been able to take the strain, and lastly, she really _did_ have the best girlfriend in the world! Not that _that _had even been a question, so to be more accurate it was more of a reaffirmation. After her 'breakfast' Rachel picked up the phone and after a brief conversation with Andrew, one of the studio heads she had spoken to yesterday, the girl whose signature Quinn was hunting for showed up at their hotel room and effectively ended the quest the pilot had been convinced would take her all day to solve. As a result they decided to have a joint breakfast in the shower then head down to the café to meet Shelby for some _actual_ food! The rest of their small trip went off without a hitch and the seating problem which had been such an issue on the outward journey, suddenly got resolved and they were all in first class. At least when Quinn shot a pointed glare at the agent, the older woman had the grace to look guilty.

Once they were home again and had shared the news about Rachel securing the role for herself, signing a contract with Disney, and the revelation of the discovery of her birth mother with J.D, the teenager made them promise never to take her on holiday just in case she discovered she was the heir to a throne in Europe somewhere. After an impromptu tickle fight between the teenager and Quinn (who insisted that J.D was in no way comparable to Anne Hathaway) the girl had hugged Rachel and offered her congratulations on both counts. After that, things went back to normal for a while, well…as normal as life in their house ever got anyway. Gaby showed up with the odd case for Quinn, all fairly simple ones that mostly involved tipping off the cops (well, Santana and Sam to be more accurate) as to the whereabouts of bodies or key pieces of evidence that were required to secure arrests or convictions. As a result the duo's arrest rate was shooting up and they were gaining themselves a reputation for solving cases that had long since been given up on. For her part Quinn was able to spend more time at home and less time working as Santana was using discretionary C.I money to pay her, saying that it was the only way to make things look halfway legitimate. Steven and Judy returned from their biking holiday and after hours of the pilot teasing her mom about becoming a hypocritical biker chick, she finally caught them up on events while they'd been gone. Needless to say the explanation for the cast on her wrist did not go down well and the pilot found herself enduring another lecture about acting irresponsibly. Once that passed however, it was all about family bonding time and sitting through multitudes of photos that the couple had taken on their trip.

Rachel received the full script from Disney and began to learn it verbatim with Shelby; it was just one of the activities the two women had begun which was helping them to grow closer. At the older woman's insistence, Rachel had reluctantly agreed to keep the discovery of her birth mother a secret from her fathers. She felt terrible doing so but understood that it would open a really old wound for Shelby when she finally faced the two men again. Quinn however, wasn't _quite_ so understanding, and had in fact, had an all-out screaming match with Shelby about it, unhappy with the added pressure it might heap on Rachel when she was already dealing with the stresses of pregnancy. It was only when the agent broke down in tears that Quinn backed off, and in fact _tried_ to understand Shelby's position. They had agreed it would stay a secret only so long as it wasn't causing Rachel any obvious undue stress. The greatest victory for Quinn however came three weeks after she got back and the doctor agreed that she could finally have the plaster off her wrist, although she'd been able to go into work and do a few jobs both around the airfield and the garage, the fact she would be getting her hand back was the best news she'd had in ages. She was like a kid the whole way to the surgery, chatting away about all the things she was going to do when she had both hands back. Rachel just smiled along with her happily, and maybe blushed at the few more adult themed activities the pilot mentioned. When the cast was finally cracked open and peeled away from her hand, Quinn actually fist pumped in victory…then tried to explain to a curious doctor why she found two plastic teaspoon's, a rifle from her Claire Redfield figure and numerous paperclips jammed into the sides of the cast. Apparently, saying 'it was itchy' is not an excuse and had she pierced the skin she could have caused an infection. Sitting through the doctor's lecture on the proper care needed for her newly healed wrist, Quinn tried not to fidget and failed epically, in the end the doctor gave up and handing the leaflet's to Rachel, smiled despite the pilot's annoying behaviour and let them go.

The next few days made J.D inordinately happy that she had invested several hundred dollars in a _really_ good pair of DJ headphones. If not then the noises her de facto parents were making while celebrating a fully functioning Quinn again, would have sent her screaming into therapy! As the weeks ticked over, Rachel's baby bump grew and her mood swung rapidly from one end of the spectrum to the other. On several occasions Quinn found herself sleeping on the couch, at Santana's, her mom's, or even once at Shelby's house…something both of them found _highly_ uncomfortable. As such, it was a very hesitant Quinn that pulled into the driveway of their house…fiddling awkwardly with the collar of her new 'uniform' that Steve had introduced for use when she was flying their brand new Lear Jet. On the one hand, if the diva was in a good mood she had nothing to fear but perhaps a little ridicule when it came to the uniform, it did make her look like an extra from an Airplane movie after all! On the other hand, she would have to explain that with the new uniform and title, came a pager and the chance she could be called in at any time of the day or night to fly. She was fairly sure that when she got to that point in time, if angry Rachel was in charge she'd end up on the sofa again that night. Sighing in resignation the pilot straightened her tie determinedly, and grabbing the peaked cap from the passenger seat jammed it onto her head before sliding from the car. As she reached for the door handle it opened inwards and she almost ran into J.D who was on her way to work, as usual Quinn couldn't help tease the teenager about the uniform the pizza joint made her wear, smirking she flicked the 3D pepperoni on the collar of the fluorescent yellow polo shirt.

"Looking pretty slick there Giuseppe!"

Snorting at the nickname, the teen pointedly eyed the pilot's outfit before smirking widely.

"Says a reject from Top Gun, what the hell are you meant to _be_ anyway, a waiter or something?"

Scowling mildly, Quinn looked down at her uniform and let loose a sigh.

"It's to give our private chartered flight customers a more 'professional air' when flying…apparently dinosaur T-shirts and jeans just aren't going to cut it anymore!"

Laughing at the scowl of discontent on her foster parents face, J.D reached out to pat her consolingly on the shoulder.

"If it helps, you actually look pretty smart in it."

Eyeing the teen with suspicion, Quinn glanced down again and gave a reluctant shrug.

"Maybe, but it doesn't feel like a _proper_ uniform you know? Not like one I earned…not like my dad's."

She sighed slightly, although a large part of her had more than come to terms with her decision not to join the Air Force, there was always that little part of her that still yearned to serve her country. Shaking her head slightly before J.D could even think about mentioning it, she ploughed on.

"So…how is she today, am I safe or should I put the football helmet on?"

They both sniggered at the mention of Quinn's replica Forty Niners helmet that had made its way down from her office to the entry hall after she'd gotten accidentally smacked in the head with a Snickers bar during one of Rachel's 'these kids are ruining my body' episodes. Ever since that incident, the pilot would test the waters by calling out to see what mood Rachel was in, if it was a bad one she'd put the helmet on before walking in…most times this act alone helped to calm the diva down and get her laughing. If not then it stopped Quinn getting knocked out by flying candy, J.D shrugged slightly as she thought about the question.

"She's been pretty quiet actually, spent all morning cleaning the house like a demon, wouldn't even let me help her, I just made her some lunch and kept an eye out in case she looked like she was hurting."

Nodding slightly the pilot clapped the teen on the shoulder.

"In that case, I think I'll go in without protection."

J.D sniggered at that turn of phrase.

"If you'd done that nine months ago then you wouldn't be ducking flying candy now, would you?"

Narrowing her eyes playfully, the pilot aimed a swipe at the teen who agilely ducked the hand headed her way.

"Hey, it's not my fault you do your thinking with your little head when it's visiting is it!"

Unable to stop her own grin at the teasing banter, Quinn just shook her head and managed to halfway connect a kick at J.D's backside as the giggling girl ran past her.

"Watch it wiseass or _you'll_ be sleeping on the sofa tonight!"

Poking her tongue out in response, the teen abruptly halted just before she was about to pull herself into the jeep.

"Actually I was gonna, um, ask you about sleeping…as in, um, sleeping somewhere that's _not_ my bed?"

Raising the ever imperious eyebrow, Quinn folded her arms across her chest, peering over the top of her Ray Ban's at the girl who was shuffling from foot to foot awkwardly.

"Oh really…And just who's bed _were_ you thinking of sleeping in?"

Flushing a bright red, J.D rubbed the back of her neck and tried to look both responsible and reasonable at the same time.

"Not…like _that_, well, maybe not, I mean…I don't…"

Stopping, she sighed in frustration and tried again to get her request out.

"What I _meant,_ was there are a group of us from the pizza place meeting up with the guys who work at the video shop…there's an all-night retrospective of the Universal Monster Movies on in town and I was hoping that maybe I could go?"

Frowning heavily, Quinn's ever present over protective parent vibe kicked in and she started thinking about all the things that could happen to an eighteen year old out on their own late at night…not that J.D would be alone, but even so…sighing, the pilot asked carefully.

"This is a group thing then, you're all going to stay together the whole night? Watching the movies and stuff?"

J.D nodded vigorously.

"Exactly, we're all gonna be in a big crowd together, never less than two of us at a time at the very least…if it will make you feel better I promise I won't even go _pee_ by myself!"

Sensing that the pilot was wavering, the teen clasped her hands together in mock prayer and pouted pointedly.

"Pleeeeaaassssseeeeeeeee?"

Rolling her hazel eyes, Quinn couldn't help but grin as she finally nodded her assent.

"Fine…but you ring me _first thing_ in the morning and let me know you're okay!"

Fist pumping the air happily, the teen leapt into her jeep, calling out of the window as she backed down the driveway.

"You're the best Montana!"

Seconds later the jeep was out of sight and Quinn was chuckling to herself as she walked cautiously into the entryway. It definitely _sounded_ peaceful, the only thing she could hear was faint music from the direction of the lounge, she briefly wondered what was playing until both her nose and eyes noticed the fresh batch of brownies on the side. Picking one up and trying not to let an obscene moan out at the orgasmic party currently in full swing on her taste buds, she poured a glass of milk and headed towards the origin of the music. As she got nearer to the lounge she could hear Rachel's voice singing along with the band on the stereo and almost against her will she found herself smiling, when it came to music her fiancée was _truly_ a force to be reckoned with. Leaning on the doorframe she lowered the shades on her nose so she could watch more clearly as the diva carried on trying to knit something for the babies. Although she'd tried her hardest, knitting just didn't seem to agree with her and so far all that she'd produced were three very long scarves as she couldn't turn yet! She was able to watch in relative peace as Rachel didn't notice her until she set the now empty glass down on the side cabinet just inside the door, at the gentle sound Rachel glanced over her shoulder, her frown melting into a smile…then something else, Quinn smiled back at her.

"Hey gorgeous, how are you and the peanuts doing tonight?"

Turning around with difficulty, due to the large pregnancy bump, the diva smiled distractedly, her eyes flying over the pilot's outfit even as she spoke.

"They feel more like a peanut _plantation_ right now baby…um, may I ask what you're wearing?"

Pushing herself off of the doorframe, the pilot rolled her eyes as she gestured down at the outfit despondently.

"I know, ridiculous isn't it?"

Rachel's tongue darted out briefly to wet her lips as she took in the sight before her, ridiculous is definitely not the word _she_ would have used! From the polished black leather shoes, past the neatly pressed black trousers with the stitched black stripe running up the sides to the starched white shirt, Quinn looked every inch the hot pilot. The fitted black pilots jacket, complete with gold stitching round the cuffs, the stripes a civilian pilot wore to denote position on the epaulets and an engraved name plate topped with golden wings finished it off nicely…and as for the peaked cap and Ray Ban glasses…nope, ridiculous was definitely _not_ what Rachel was thinking when it came to Quinn's uniform. Licking her lips again the diva remained silent but gestured with one crooked finger for Quinn to join her. Tilting her head slightly in a silent question, the pilot brushed the brownie crumbs from her fingers and walked round the back of the sofa to stand in front of Rachel.

"Rach…you okay? I can get changed if…"

That was as far as she got before Rachel's hand placed itself over her mouth, Quinn's eyes widened in surprise as the diva's other hand hooked itself into the lapels of the pilot's jacket and yanked her forwards until her ear was level with Rachel's lips.

"Don't you dare…the only person taking that uniform off of you is me, and that's only when _I'm_ ready, because dear god Quinn…you look so _fucking_ sexy!"

The brunette powerhouse was placing gentle kisses and nips all along the pilot's neck in between words throughout the sentence, but when she actually growled the word 'fucking' into Quinn's ear, hazel eyes were almost obscured by their pupils and she had to make a conscious effort to stay upright. She had no idea whether Rachel was aiming to control this little encounter or not, and even if she had she probably wouldn't have been able to stop herself from ducking her head and capturing the diva's lips in a hungry devouring kiss. there was a tiny part of her mind that reminded her she had just had to put down a hundred dollar deposit for this suit so she needed to be careful with it, however, as J.D had accurately pointed out earlier, during this time of the month her little head did the thinking for her. And all her little head was thinking was how much it really wanted to get out and play, something Rachel was only too happy to oblige it with. Quinn tried not to wince as she felt as well as heard several stitches ripping across the shoulders of her jacket as the diva literally tore it from her, the shiny gold buttons flying god knew where in the room.

Truth be told though, she'd much rather it had been the pants Rachel had torn off because they were getting unbearably uncomfortable. Especially with the way the diva insisted on biting her way across Quinn's collarbone as she expertly fondled her through the rapidly tightening pants. As if in answer to her silent prayers, she felt the brunette's nimble hands unbuckling the leather belt slowly, swallowing slightly Quinn managed to rasp out.

"I, um, wouldn't mind if you wanted to go a _little_ faster?"

Hooded brown eyes sparkled at her as the hands stopped unfastening the belt and instead made their way lower to cup her length through the material.

"You wouldn't huh? And why is that Captain Fabray?"

Swallowing hard at the predatory look in her fiancée's eyes, Quinn cleared her throat and moved her mouth in the vain hope it might make a sound other than a moan. Shaking her head slightly to clear it, she decided there was no way she was relinquishing _all_ control. Raising an eyebrow stoically, she leaned down the infinitesimal height difference between them and husked into the diva's ear.

"Because I like speed, all pilots do…we love to feel the thrust of the engines as we expertly manoeuvre our way to our final destination."

On the word 'thrust' she pointedly did just that, smirking as Rachel moaned at the way Quinn's cock twitched in her hands, even while still hidden under her clothes. Now it was _her_ turn to swallow before speaking, and Rachel found herself having to also clear her throat before managing to talk.

"What makes you think we've filed the same flight path captain?"

Smirking widely, the pilot leaned forwards eagerly, running one hand over the diva's already sensitive nipples while the other crept stealthily down under Rachel's nightshirt to cup the wet warmth she found there.

"That…_that_ tells me we're definitely headed in the same direction…so long as you're sure?"

Rachel smiled softly at the almost whispered addendum, they'd talked about this before of course, the inherent risks of sex this late in a pregnancy. But Rachel was never one to enter into something without having thoroughly researched it first. In answer to Quinn's query she stepped back, and (as nimbly as was possible for a nearly eight month's pregnant woman) slipped her nightshirt over her head. Making sure to keep eye contact with the obviously eager pilot behind her, Rachel knelt on the sofa carefully, resting her bump comfortably against the back of it as she settled herself.

"So…are you going to stop staring and actually show me how much thrust capacity you have or not?"

That was a question Quinn definitely did _not_ have to be asked twice and she fumbled with her belt, cursing slightly as it got stuck and trying to ignore Rachel's giggle at the swearing. Simultaneously she was attempting to toe off her shoes; however, being brand new the leather was stiff and the laces not much better! She tore her attention away from her uncooperative uniform when she saw Rachel wriggling her butt invitingly. Giving up on the shoes she ripped the belt open and freeing herself with a grateful sigh, moved up behind her fiancée. Letting her trousers and boxers fall to her knees, Quinn reached down and ran her fingers gently through the copious moisture between Rachel's swollen folds, whimpering slightly at the heat. Making sure the diva turned her head to watch, Quinn brought the fingers to her lips and sucked them dry, smirking at the loud groan Rachel let out at the sight.

"I swear to Barbra Quinn, if you don't…OH _**GOD**_!"

She ended the sentence abruptly with a cry of pleasure as Quinn thrust herself inside her with one powerful flex of her hips. Adjusting her footing slightly to allow her pants to fall to her ankles, the pilot reached around and lightly palmed the diva's chest with one questing hand, the other resting on and gripping Rachel's hip bone. Resting her cheek on the top of the sofa Rachel reached back and grabbing the hand that was resting on her hip threaded her fingers with the pilots and held on tight, her other hand clawing at the back of the sofa next to her head as Quinn began to move. It had actually been a good couple of weeks since they'd last made love and although she was ever mindful of her fiancée's very pregnant state she couldn't help but want to lose herself in what they were doing. Forcing herself to maintain a steady but pleasurable rhythm, the pilot was surprised when she felt Rachel squeeze her hand and growl out one word.

"Faster."

The very tiny part of Quinn's mind that still held the rational control almost asked once again if the diva was sure…but then the highly libidinous part of her brain smacked the rational part upside the head and told it to shut up.

"God I love you!"

The blonde managed to lean down and husk out that one sentence before she gave in to her primal self and started to pound in and out of Rachel with abandon. The brunette yelled exultantly at the feeling and flexed her muscles expertly, exerting just the right amount of pressure needed to squeeze Quinn's cock as it moved inside her to please the both of them. The hand previously resting on the diva's breast began to make its way down towards the brunette's clit, determined to get Rachel off before she blew her load, or at least coax her into coming at the same time. Which wasn't going to take much longer if the tugging in the pit of her stomach and light-headed sensation she was experiencing were anything to go by.

Gritting her teeth and ignoring the sweat that was pouring down her face and had already caused her glasses to fall off, the pilot thrust deeper and harder, making sure to drag the tip of her cock across Rachel's G-spot, not only on the way out but also on the way back in again. Twinning this with the sudden circling of the diva's swollen clit resulted in Rachel arching her back tightly as her orgasm hit…and hit, and hit again! Quinn felt almost choked inside Rachel's warmth, the walls of her pussy gripping and flexing, massaging every last drop of cum that Quinn could produce, out of her. Eventually Rachel collapsed onto the sofa and Quinn tried her best not to collapse on top of her when she felt Rachel's walls finally release her cock from their iron grip, although the fact her knees felt like the bones had been replaced with jelly wasn't helping. It took her a moment to work out that something was amiss and when she did she wasn't sure exactly how to word what was in her head.

"Um…Rach, wow you, uh really enjoyed that huh? I mean you've done this before but never quite…this much!"

Rachel, for her part, had gotten her breath back and come to a realisation, firstly, that she had just in fact had multiple orgasms with one climax, and secondly that she hadn't done quite what Quinn thought she had.

"Quinn…honey that's not what you think. I'm pretty sure my water just broke!"

Quinn stood there in shocked silence for a moment, her shirt stuck to her with sweat, tie askew, hat almost off and trousers round her ankles as she tried to come to grips with what Rachel had just said. Looking uncomprehendingly from the wet sofa cushion and her own drenched trousers to the diva she managed to squeak out.

"But…it's not _time_ yet!"

Moving carefully off the sofa, Rachel grimaced at the state of it and made a mental note to buy a new one before reiterating.

"Sweetheart, I'm pretty sure the babies don't care _what_ the timetable is, and the Doctor did warn us that multiple birth pregnancies had a habit of doing this."

Realising that, no she wasn't dreaming, and that yes, the babies were on their way whether she was ready or not, Quinn sprang into action. Something that would have been more effective had she remembered that her trousers were round her ankles…but she didn't. As a result, her intention to run into the nursery and grab the overnight bag they'd packed, ended up with her falling face first into the coffee table, Rachel heard the yelp, followed shortly thereafter by a thump and groan. Turning around she let out a surprised gasp and then waddled as best she could over to the downed pilot who was clutching a hand over one eye and struggling to pull her pants up with the other.

"Quinn, what the heck are you doing?!"

Groaning with a mix of exasperation and embarrassment, the blonde muttered as she finally managed to kick off the wet and probably ruined trousers.

"I forgot they were round my ankles, I'm fine, just caught my eye is all."

Wincing at the first inklings of a contraction, Rachel gestured for Quinn to lower her hand.

"Let me see it."

Pulling her hand away from her eye, the pilot finally managed to get her shoes, and therefore the rest of her clothes off of her bottom half. Rachel groaned at the state of the pilot's eyes, there was a gash just under the eyebrow and it was half swollen shut already.

"Quinn, you can't drive with only one functioning eye, how are we going to get to the hospital now!"

Rolling her eyes (well, eye) Quinn lurched to her feet and headed for the doorway as she called over her shoulder.

"I'm fine, it's just a problem with depth perception, nothing else, and people drive with one eye all the time!"

She promptly walked into the doorframe instead of out of the room, grunting in frustration Rachel headed for the phone table whilst looking pointedly at a red faced Quinn who muttered.

"I'll get some pants on and grab the hospital bag."

The pilot disappeared (carefully) out of the room and headed towards the nursery while Rachel tried J.D's phone number, which went straight to voicemail, she had no idea if birth itself counted as an emergency but assumed not as the teen did not appear magically before her when the phone rang off. Quinn made her way back in, still wearing the shirt and tie but she'd thrown on some sweat pants and unlaced converse and had the hospital bag grasped tightly in one hand, she looked up when Rachel gasped slightly and held a hand to her abdomen.

"Oh…goodness, that was definitely a contraction Quinn, so for good or bad the babies are definitely planning an early entrance…and I can't get a hold of J.D."

Dropping the hospital bag, Quinn cursed as she face palmed.

"She's working, she can't have her cell on at work and she's out at the cinema afterwards, some all-night thing…shit, look, I'm pretty sure I can dri…"

The brunettes pointed glare shut her up, so instead she frowned for a moment before snapping her fingers.

"Call Santana, she's on early shifts this week so she should have finished for the day and Brit's away again working with J-Lo!"

Nodding agreeably the diva hit the speed dial button for her oldest friend and kept her fingers crossed, both that the Latina would answer and that she wouldn't take the piss out of Quinn too badly for this!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX

Santana _had_ in fact finished her shift for the day, and was currently leaning on a wall of a Victoria's Secret store trying not to double up with laughter at the bewildered (and somewhat flustered) expression on her partners face.

"Jesus Christ Sam its just underwear you know, everyone wears it, and it's like a staple part of a person's outfit for the day!"

Waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the silk and lace get up hanging from the rack in front of her; Sam flushed a bright red and sputtered out defensively.

"Not like this they don't! No one could work while wearing stuff like this, and this is definitely an inappropriate gift for someone I've only been dating for like two months."

Santana arched an unimpressed eyebrow at that.

"Are you expecting me to believe that two hot blooded adult women haven't gotten down and dirty in two months of dating?"

Trying her best to ignore the smirk on her partners face and the muted chuckling of the stores other customers, Sam yanked Santana out of the shop muttering under her breath.

"Look it was your stupid advice that messed things up in the first place Lopez! So yeah, I'm taking it slow, ya know…actually courting her properly before I take her to bed."

Dark brown eyes widening comically, Santana actually had to raise her hand and cover her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"Holy crap, you really mean that don't you? And here I was thinking you'd just spent way too much time watching British dramas on cable!"

Rolling her blue eyes, Sam shoved her hands into the pockets of her wool coat and shrugged slightly.

"She…means a lot to me, like, as in I think this could be the one ya know? Like you and Brit…_who_, by the way, must have the patience of a saint to put up with you the way she does."

Grinningly smugly, Santana shot a sly wink her partner's way.

"What can I say; I have skills…many skills!"

Sam opened her mouth to retort but the Latina's ringing phone interrupted her, holding up a hand with a smirk, Santana checked the caller I.D and frowned slightly as she answered.

"Berry, what's up?"

Even going into labour, Rachel found the time to tut disapprovingly at the Latina's form of address.

"It's not polite to use someone's surname when answering the phone Santana!"

Rolling her eyes at the rebuke, even though the little diva wouldn't see it, Santana let out a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah whatever…now what's up, what did Q do _this_ time?"

There was an outraged squawk from the other end which told the Latina her friend obviously had the phone on speaker. Before she could fire off any kind of witticism, Rachel blurted out.

"The babies are on their way and Quinn managed to hurt her eye…I need a lift to the hospital!"

In the background she could hear the pilot attempt to interrupt again.

"Ya know, I'm pretty sure that I'd be able to get us there sa…"

Even Santana's eyebrows shot up at the next few words she heard, not because the words themselves were shocking but because they came from mild mannered Rachel Berry!

"I swear to God Quinn, if you say that one more time I'm going to kick you in the ass so hard I won't be the only person needing to birth something!"

The swallow Quinn gave at that ultimatum was actually heard by Santana over the phone; before anything else was said she leapt in.

"I'm on the way; just make sure we're ready to go as soon as I get there!"

Ending the call, the Latina suddenly remembered it was Sam's car they had taken out today; she opened her mouth to speak but the taller blonde just waved a hand vaguely.

"Its fine, I was thinking of heading to the hospital anyway to see Janet."

Clapping her partner on the back, the Latina deftly snagged the keys from her pocket and smirked.

"Cool, I'll drive!"

Wincing at the memory of the last time Santana had driven her beloved Camaro; Sam began to jog after the excited Latina.

"No, hang on Lopez, I'll drive…LOPEZ!"

Swearing at her wickedly chuckling partner, Sam pelted hastily to catch up, but it was all for naught as Santana was buckled in and revving the engine as the taller woman slid into the passenger's seat with barely enough time to close the door before they peeled away from the parking lot. Sighing in resignation, she held onto the door handle and muttered irritably.

"Break anything this time and I break you!"

Shrugging amiably, the Latina executed a handbrake turn that left several inches of black rubber on the asphalt and muttered more to herself than the blonde.

"If you were this passionate about dating the Doc then you might have gotten further than second base!"

Sam didn't even have time to scowl as another two-wheeled turn brought them into the entryway to Quinn and Rachel's house. Santana smiled with a mix of excitement (not that she'd ever admit that) and amusement as she saw Rachel and Quinn ready to go, the diva holding one hand to her lower back and breathing through a contraction as Quinn followed with the bag in one hand and her other helping to support Rachel. She belatedly realised one of the pilots eyes was half swollen closed and the one that wasn't was wide with barely concealed panic. Rolling her eyes to herself she slid from the driver's seat and gestured to Sam.

"You're up partner, I'll take shotgun."

Surprised by the submission but not wanting to question it, Sam leapt gratefully into the driver's seat, all the while wondering what had prompted her control freak partner to give up the keys so readily. Unbeknownst to her it was the look in Quinn's eyes and the quite obvious need Rachel had for her fiancée to be more together than she currently was. Santana helped Rachel into the car before moving round to the trunk where Quinn was setting the hospital bag inside with a shaking hand. Leaning in, the Latina fisted her hand in the back of the pilot's collar and half growled into her ear.

"I realise that you're probably about to shit a brick Fabray but get it together! Rachel is going to need you in that delivery room! So get control of yourself and be there for her okay?"

Blinking some of the dazed confusion from her eyes, Quinn huffed out a breath and managed a half smile.

"Sorry…yeah, I'm with it now I promise! Just sort of took me by surprise…plus I think my head might be sort of fuzzy right now?"

Smiling fondly at her best friend, Santana clapped her on the back and they made their way to the rear of the car.

"Well once the Faberry babies are here we'll get your brains checked out okay? Now let's get this show on the road!"

Shutting the rear door of the car, Santana leapt into the passenger side and motioned to her partner.

"Come on, to the delivery ward Robin!"

Sam rolled her eyes, muttering that she would at least be Batgirl and not Robin who was always nothing more than a sidekick no matter what the comics said! She was however a fast and efficient driver, making sure they got to the hospital swiftly and without the thrills and spills of her over exuberant partner. In the back of the car Quinn was remembering the breathing exercises they had been taught and with the last of the panic swept from her mind was being the perfect birthing partner. Gently sweeping the hair from Rachel's forehead, the pilot pressed a soft kiss to her temple before sliding from the car to help her stand.

"Can you walk in or should I get a chair for you?"

Breathing out the last of the latest contraction pain, the tiny brunette stood a little straighter but still leant heavily on Quinn.

"I think we can make it in before the next one hits, how far apart were the last ones?"

Quinn consulted her wristwatch which she had stopped when the last one had started and reported back.

"Twenty minutes so it's not too bad right now…I guess?"

She raised an eyebrow questioningly even as she walked Rachel into the maternity ward with the help of Santana, an awkward looking Sam trailing behind uncertainly. As they reached the desk Quinn's mind went blank and she opened and closed her mouth for a moment before blurting out.

"BABY...I mean, um, there's a baby coming, multiple babies actually and…we need to be where the baby delivering happens!"

Raising an eyebrow in amusement, the annoyingly calm receptionist typed on the keyboard in front of her.

"Name please?"

Running a hand through her hair, the pilot frowned slightly.

"We haven't come up with names yet, why would you even need to…oh!"

Flushing as she suddenly realised what exactly the question meant, Quinn cleared her throat and replied.

"Berry, Rachel Berry…um, Dr West is our usual Doctor."

Smiling indulgently, the receptionist typed the information in then called for an orderly once she had the right file open.

"Okay, Warren here will take you both into the delivery room and Dr West will be with you as soon as possible, if there's anything you need let one of us know okay?"

Both Quinn and Rachel nodded as they were escorted through to the little pre delivery room, this time with the help of a chair as Rachel was beginning to feel tired. Once they were settled in, Rachel lay down on the bed and Quinn was standing at her side armed with a cup of ice chips and several cool washcloths she had brought herself. It was things like that which reassured the diva that despite the sometimes panic ridden look in her wide hazel eyes, Quinn was still a hundred per cent there for her. Seeking out the pilot's hand, Rachel squeezed it tightly, both giving and reassuring. Quinn's eyes found hers and despite one of them being half closed over, the blonde smiled in mild wonder.

"The peanuts are on the way huh?"

Smiling ruefully, the diva accepted another ice chip and nodded.

"Yes, and they are definitely bigger than peanuts now! I should probably apologise."

Frowning slightly, and completely oblivious to Santana and Sam who were lurking in the doorway unsurely, Quinn laid another cool cloth across Rachel's forehead.

"What for?"

Huffing out a little laugh, the brunette squeezed the pilot's free hand in hers again and elaborated.

"I have a feeling that when labour hits fully I may be cursing at you something rotten, the books and your mom have both hinted that will happen and I want you to know in advance I don't mean it."

Smirking slightly, Quinn shrugged one shoulder.

"No worries love, if I was trying to squeeze three children out of me I'd probably swear as well!"

Levelling a mild glare at the pilot, Rachel stated flatly.

"_Really_ not helping Quinn!"

Behind her, Quinn heard Santana make a crashing sound and mutter.

"And she was doing so well!"

Both detectives half smirked at that and rolling her eyes Quinn turned round to glare pointedly at the grinning Latina.

"I appreciate the ride, given my little mishap, but I don't remember asking for the personal cheer squad when it comes to the actual birth!"

Pouting, Santana was about to protest when Sam's eyes, which had been glancing idly towards the waiting area, suddenly narrowed. Reaching out the blonde smacked her partner in the chest to gain her attention, scowling Santana turned to her.

"What now?!"

Grabbing hold of the Latina's shoulders, Sam turned her forcefully and muttered in her ear.

"I could be wrong but isn't that the scumbag we just wasted our entire day trying to find?"

Gesturing with her chin towards a guy that could only be described as a bodybuilder, Santana felt herself grin; looks like the day wouldn't be wasted after all! She checked the guy's appearance against the mug shot and description she had permanently etched into her brain. Six foot five, tattoo of a snake wound around his left arm, shaved head with a cheek marred by stubble and one jagged scar…yep, that was Eric Vincent alright. Nodding minutely, Santana casually headed towards the guy on his right side while Sam headed for the left. It's not like they would have time to call for backup but how difficult would it be for two trained detectives to take down one unarmed and unaware suspect?

It turns out…pretty difficult!

Unaware of what her best friend was doing, Quinn glanced up from feeding Rachel another ice chip and glanced at her watch noticing the latest contraction had started after only sixteen minutes, the babies were getting here pretty fast and there was no sign of the Dr, she could sense that Rachel was getting anxious as well and as soon as the latest contraction passed, Quinn laid a clean cloth over the diva's forehead and leaning down for a quick kiss murmured.

"I'm going to go and see what's going on with the doc Okay?"

Glad that the pilot had offered without her having to ask, Rachel squeezed her hand gently and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, I know he's probably on his way but give all the complications they warned us of with multiple birth pregnancies I just…"

Smiling softly, Quinn silenced her with another kiss before finishing for her.

"You just want him here to reassure you, I get it…so wait here and I'll be back in a minute okay?"

Smiling and relaxing back onto the bed, Rachel just nodded her head slightly and watched as Quinn headed out to talk to the receptionist again, or whoever she found first. Heading determinedly towards the front desk, the pilot frowned when she saw her friend and her partner seemingly sneaking up on some muscle bound guy looking nervous in the waiting room. Rubbing the back of her neck, Quinn kept one eye on the odd scene in front of her and one on the front desk as she continued on her way…it was because of her divided attention that _she_ noticed the muscle guy notice Santana before the Latina did. Whatever was going on she wouldn't be able to get to her friend in time, but she _could_ call out.

"Lopez, he made you!"

Although she inwardly cringed at the line that made her feel like an extra in a cheap detective thriller, it did do the trick and Santana was able to look up in time to not quite be squashed flat against the wall as the guy charged into her. Cursing under her breath, Quinn took a step forward undecided about whether or not to help when she saw Sam launch herself onto the guy's back. The rest of the people in the waiting room quickly let out squeals of alarm and made themselves scarce as the large guy continued to spin in a circle, with one detective latched onto him like those animal rucksacks Quinn remembered from when she was a kid, and the other one held in his meaty hands as she tried to get in a good shot to his nuts. Cursing under her breath the pilot glanced briefly towards where the nurse was trying to get hold of security and resignedly headed towards the scuffle, three heads had to be better than two…right?

By the time she got there, Santana was going purple and Sam looked like she was in danger of falling off of the giants back. Glancing around hurriedly, Quinn grabbed the fire extinguisher from off the wall and hoping for the best slammed it into the back of the guy's knees hard. He fell to the floor with a howl of agony and finally let go of the Latina who sucked air in gratefully as Sam scrambled at her belt to find her cuffs…but not quickly enough. Heaving upwards he sent the taller blonde detective sprawling backwards and into the seats along the wall before turning angrily on Quinn.

"Aw…crap."

Swallowing hard, the pilot's hazel eyes darted around the chaos that the waiting area had become and biting her lip, nervously vaulted over the man while he was still knelt down before making a break for the corridor leading to the delivery rooms. Hearing Rachel's surprised yelling of her name however she instinctively turned back and skidded into the room breathlessly.

"Slight hiccup with Santa…ugh!"

She found herself sinking to her knees in agony as a boot planted itself painfully between her legs, followed by the muscle bound felon himself; Rachel's mouth dropped open with a mix of anger and surprise. Before she could speak however there was a familiar roar of anger and a bundle of Latina rage launched itself angrily at the man sending them both to the floor in a tangle of limbs and surgical instruments from the tray they managed to bring down with them. Sam skidded into the room and sparing a small apologetic smile for the flustered and completely confused Diva, leapt into the fray. Rachel was frantically pressing her call button as well as yelling for help, she was tempted to get out of bed herself but doubted she would be of much help. Glancing towards Quinn, she saw the pilot was slowly trying to straighten out of the foetal position she had curled into, and despite the pain it was the blonde who held up a reassuring hand even as she tried not to vomit from the pain in her groin.

"This is becoming ridiculous!"

The diva yelled out in a pitch high enough to gain all their attention.

"I don't know what this is but I am _trying_ to squeeze three people out of me and this is really pissing me off!"

Even the thug looked shocked at the tiny brunette's outburst, Santana used that moment of inattention to try and bring him down and swung an awkward punch so hard the crack was heard clearly in the small room…unfortunately it wasn't the muscular guy's jaw that broke and letting out a roar of agony the Latina pulled her hand back to her chest. Rolling her eyes Sam went to follow the blow with a kick, hoping the combination of the two would finally take down the steroid filled moron! Before her foot could connect however, the guy grabbed it and twisted sharply, resulting in another crack and Sam hitting the floor hard with a similar bellow to Santana. Quinn made it as far as her knees before retching and collapsing again, the big guy picked himself up shakily, smirking down at the three women he'd bested and made to run…before promptly being smacked so hard in the back of the head he only had time to frown before hitting the floor hard enough to shake the door in its frame. The security guards rushed in belatedly to find one woman curled up on the floor and the two detectives scrambling to get the unconscious guy cuffed, one of them clutching a hand to her chest and the other trying not to move her right leg. The most surprising part of the tableaux, however, was the heavily pregnant woman standing with a bed pan in one hand while she leant tiredly on the frame of the bed she'd obviously been resting in.

"Could you please get this man _out_ of my room and tell me where my doctor is so I can deliver my DAMN BABIES!"

The guards nodded and scrambled to help the detectives up, muttering amongst themselves to try and find out _what_ exactly had happened, at that moment Dr West walked in with Rachel's file in his hands, eyes glued to it as he spoke.

"Alright let's get this…dear god, what _happened_ in here!"

Rachel scowled fiercely as Quinn muttered hoarsely from the floor.

"Don't ask!"

Within twenty minutes things were sort of back to business as per normal, Santana and Sam had been taken down to E.R to get their suspected fractures looked at. The uniformed officers Lee and Murphy had turned up to take the big guy into custody, and Quinn was seated in the chair next to Rachel with an ice pack down her pants. The diva herself had the pilots hand held tightly in one hand as another contraction hit and Quinn was glad of the sharp pain as it took her mind off the throbbing pain in her co-pilot…that and she was getting excited about seeing their children be born. By this point the contractions were five minutes apart and the doctor was preparing to have Rachel wheeled into the delivery room. Smiling slightly Dr West handed Quinn a set of scrubs.

"Okay parent to be, the baby is in position and things are definitely ready to start, and you need to get _those_ on so you can come into the delivery room with Rachel."

Looking up, the pilot blinked the tears of joy out of her eyes, although they had been here over an hour now, hearing those words made it real…this wasn't a false alarm, it wasn't a dream, their babies were on the way!

"You ready Rach?"

Smiling wearily as she braced for another contraction, the diva gentled her hold on Quinn's hand for a moment, lifting their joined ones to her lips to plant a kiss on the pilot's scarred knuckles.

"As ready as I'll ever be…you're not going to bring any more felons in with you right?"

Flushing a dark red, the blonde ducked her head and started to stutter another apology, Rachel's light chuckle stopped her.

"It was a joke sweetie; you wouldn't have been you if you hadn't leapt in to help your friends without thinking…its part of why I love you, as annoying as it is…"

She trailed off, but winked to let Quinn know she wasn't really mad with her, the pilot grinned back and leaned forward to steal a kiss before assuming a solemn expression and placing her free hand to her heart.

"I promise, no felons, no ghosts, and no fights…just you me and our babies."

Rachel's smile turned into a grimace as another contraction hit and the pilot easily fell into the breathing exercises with her. As soon as it passed Quinn shucked off her outer layers and pulled the scrubs on hastily, eager to be ready when they came to take Rachel through to the delivery rooms. An hour later and the sweetness and light were completely gone as the diva went into full blown labour, cursing hard enough to cause even the tips of Quinn's ears to go bright red. The delivery room staff and Dr West, had of course heard it all, and a lot more, before and so were completely unphased, Quinn however was surprised to learn that Rachel knew a lot more swear words than she ever let on.

"I am NEVER letting you near me again with that thing Quinn, do you hear me, never!"

Wincing at the pain in her hand where Rachel was gripping her tightly, the pilot could only nod rapidly in agreement.

"I know honey…I know."

Narrowing her eyes with a mix of pain and frustration the diva scowled through another contraction as she hissed.

"Don't you patronise me Fabray! Don't pretend you know what this feels like, from now on you can jerk off if you get the urge, and I am not to be touched!"

Nodding again the pilot bit her lip so as not to yelp at the painful grip on her hand.

"I already said I agree!"

Dr West winced and glancing at Quinn shook his head faintly, in all his years of doing this whenever the 'father' had tried any sort of defence or argument it didn't end well. Hazel eyes widened as Rachel reached across and fisting her hand in the collar of Quinn's (now very ruined) shirt yanked her down to eye level.

"I can't believe I let you put these babies in me! Your children are refusing to come out Fabray, and it's your fault!"

Opening her mouth, Quinn went to say something, then saw the imperceptible shaking of not just Dr West's head but _all_ the delivery staff and swiftly closed it again before just nodding.

"Sorry baby, I love you?"

The contraction passed and Rachel let out a soft whimper as she turned her grip on Quinn's collar into a caress, pulling her into a tear-filled embrace.

"I'm so sorry…but this hurts, _so much_ baby, it really does."

Returning the embrace, Quinn let the diva sniffle into her collar as she murmured soothing words to her, moments later they heard the magic words.

"Alright Rachel, it's time for you to start pushing, Quinn I'd suggest you use the hand that hasn't just healed from a fracture…just in case."

Glaring at the sparkle of amusement in West's eyes, Quinn switched hands and positioned herself so she could be of the most help.

"Rae, sweetheart, look at me, it's going to hurt baby and I can't help that, but look into my eyes okay and I'll do this with you…you can do it I promise!"

Taking several breaths, the diva gripped Quinn's hand with one of her own and the bed rail with the other before nodding to Dr West. Positioning himself down at the business end of the table the doctor made sure his mask was in place before speaking softly, reassuringly.

"Okay Rachel, on the count of three I want you to push okay, push as hard as you can…one…two…three!"

Squeezing down on the bed rail and Quinn's hand, Rachel gritted her teeth and pushed, the pain was immediate but she could feel him or her, feel her baby, their child making its way out. With a whimper she sagged into the bed and Dr West looked up again, his tone encouraging.

"Nearly there Rachel, one more push okay, I can see the head!"

Quinn swallowed hard, personally she thought Rachel was a freaking super hero for doing this but she figured pointing that out at this point in time would once again fall under the 'not helping' category. As much as she wanted to see one of their children being delivered she had promised Rachel she would do this with her, so smiling encouragingly she locked eyes with the diva's exhausted ones and winked.

"Almost there baby, almost there…"

Whatever Rachel was going to say was cut off as Dr West started another countdown, on 3 the diva pushed again, as hard as her dwindling reserves of energy would let her…and moments later felt a release of pressure followed by a thin but distinct cry, Rachel's eyes were wide with awe as a small black haired bundle was placed into Quinn's arms for a moment. The pilot looked shocked, elated and terrified all at once, especially when one of the nurses passed her the scissors.

"Would you like to cut the cord?"

Quinn's jaw flapped up and down uselessly for a moment and she looked to Rachel who smiled tiredly with a nod, accepting the scissors she cut where instructed and with a long hard swallow looked down at the face of their first child, a little girl with Rachel's mouth and Quinn's eyes.

"We…you…holy cra…uh, cheesus, you did it Rachel!"

She was unaware of her tears until one of them fell onto the blanket that contained their little girl, she couldn't say much else however before Dr West interrupted with a gentle throat clearing.

"I hate to interrupt, but it's back to business as I'm afraid it looks like number two is fighting to get out."

A nurse took the little girl from Quinn and laid her in a waiting crib, pausing to wipe the tears from her cheeks; the pilot sniffed and went back to holding Rachel's hand.

"Not long now love."

In comparison the next two births were easy, both only needing one push, the second baby to emerge was a blonde haired boy with blue eyes that already shone with the same soft love Quinn often saw in Rachel's. Last was a blonde haired girl also with blue eyes who after an initial cry, yawned and promptly went back to sleep, causing Rachel to laugh tiredly and comment that she was _definitely_ Quinn's daughter! By this point Rachel was barely able to keep her eyes open, Quinn walked with her as she was taken to her room to recover, and then, once she was sure the diva was resting peacefully she headed down to the nursery. She wasn't aware how much of her heart was in her throat until she managed to locate the three cradles labelled 'Berry-Fabray' with one blue, and two pink blanketed bundles. The dark haired girl, the first to be born, was in the middle and wide awake while the other two slept. Hands pressed to the glass in front of her, Quinn cried unashamedly with a huge grin covering her face. A throat cleared itself behind her and she turned to see Santana with one hand in a sling, followed by Sam on crutches, unable to help herself the pilot snorted a laugh and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her scrubs.

"Holy shit balls, next time I think I'll order a taxi…there'll be less collateral damage!"

Santana rolled her eyes while Sam just winced at the memory and nodded in agreement. The Latina shrugged her good shoulder and opened her mouth to talk back when she caught sight of the three bundles in the nursery, instantly her mouth snapped closed and she found herself holding back the same tears that Quinn wasn't even _trying_ to contain.

"Wow…they're amazing…are you sure _you_ made them Q?"

Mock glaring the pilot nudged Santana's shoulder with her own before her face dissolved into such an expression of tenderness that even the tough as nails Latina couldn't find it in her to tease. For a long while the three of them stood there just taking in the sight of the three babies, two sleeping peacefully one watching everything carefully, eventually Sam cleared her throat, which was also suspiciously rough with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry about the…scuffle earlier, and thanks for saving our asses."

Rubbing the back of her neck shyly, Quinn shrugged one shoulder before murmuring.

"No problem, all part of the job, even Rachel wasn't _too_ mad, at least not after things settled down anyway."

Blowing out a breath the blonde detective shrugged her shoulders.

"Is she awake? I feel like we should apologise to her too."

Tearing her eyes away from the babies Quinn checked her watch, eyes widening when she realised she'd been down here nearly two hours, just watching her kids, _her_ kids…man that was going to take some time to get used to! Running a hand through her hair and wincing at the cut she still needed to get stitched, the pilot shrugged.

"She might be awake again by now, I should go up and see…but I kinda don't wanna leave our kids, I know they're safe but they're down here and…"

She trailed off with a sigh and Sam, used to the way hospital's worked thanks to dating Janet, flagged down a nurse who agreed to bring the children up as soon as Rachel was awake. With that agreed upon Quinn pressed three kisses to the glass window with the tips of her fingers, and with the two crocked detectives in tow, headed back up to the maternity wing to be with her fiancée…it may sound clichéd but right then and there, if anyone had asked her, Quinn Fabray would have told you she was the luckiest son of a bitch in the world!

_Yeah…so I have no excuse for the ludicrousness of this chapter except to say it made me laugh, I could picture it clearly and let's face it, this was never going to be a run of the mill birth! I'm aware not all multi pregnancy births are this easy but the research told me that if the first baby can be born naturally then usually all of them are so I went with that lol. Anyhoo I hope you enjoyed it even a little and I'm now off to finish work on the next chapter of Thin Ice…which you're going to hate me for I think (ducks behind the computer desk) but it needs some drama! So…anyone have suggestions as to names for the babies…? If so let me knew via review or PM…love you, you crazy bunch of nerds mwah! XXX_


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